Mumbai: Adani Airport Holdings on Thursday said it has terminated the ground handling concession agreements with Turkish firm Celebi for the Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports. It also said that Celebi has been directed to immediately hand over to the company all ground handling facilities to ensure uninterrupted operations. Following this, to ensure seamless transition of ground handling services at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has appointed Indo Thai Airport Services as the interim ground handling provider for the next three months, effective immediately.
Indo Thai Airport Services, a certified ground handler operating at nine airports across India, will collaborate with MIAL to maintain existing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and ensure high-quality service delivery.
MIAL will oversee the transfer of all Celebi NAS employees at CSMIA to Indo Thai Airport Services under their current employment terms, safeguarding jobs and ensuring operational continuity. Additionally, Indo Thai Airport Services will lease all ground handling equipment from Celebi NAS to maintain service standards.
A spokesperson for MIAL assured airline partners that ground handling operations at CSMIA will remain unaffected, emphasising uninterrupted services and the highest standards for passengers and airlines. "MIAL is committed to protecting employee welfare, maintaining operational excellence, and serving the national interest," the spokesperson said. CSMIA, one of India's busiest airports, continues to prioritise seamless operations and passenger satisfaction during this transition.
The decision to terminate concession agreements was taken after the Union government revoked the security clearance of the Turkish aviation firm. It said Adani Airport Holding owns and operates the Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports, as well as the Mangalore, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Thiruvananthapuram airports.
"Following the government of India's decision to revoke Celebi's security clearance, we have terminated the ground handling concession agreements with Celebi at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA).
"Accordingly, Celebi has been directed to immediately hand over to us all ground handling facilities to ensure uninterrupted operations," a spokesperson for Adani Airport Holdings said in a statement. The company said it will continue to provide seamless service to all airlines without disruptions through new ground handling agencies selected by it.
"All existing employees of Celebi at CSMIA and SVPIA will be transferred to the new ground handling agencies on their existing terms and conditions of employment," the company said."Ground handling operations at our airports will remain unaffected. We are fully committed to upholding the highest standards of service and national interest," the spokesperson added.
CSMIA, one of India's busiest airports, continues to prioritise seamless operations and passenger satisfaction during this transition. Over the next five years, the Mumbai airport will invest Rs 10,000 crore in the creation of airport infrastructure and recover a total revenue of Rs 7,600 crore from an expected 229 million passengers. (With ANI and PTI Inputs)
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