Indo Thai picked as Mumbai airport interim ground handler after Turkish firm’s exit

The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has announced that Indo Thai Airport Services will handle ground operations for the next three months.

The development came a day after Adani Airport Holdings Ltd terminated concession agreements with Turkish firm Celebi NAS at Mumbai and Ahmedabad airports, after the Central government’s revocation of Celebi’s security clearance on national security grounds.

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“Indo Thai Airport Services has been appointed as the interim ground handling provider at the airport for the next three months with immediate effect,” an MIAL statement informed, adding that a joint meeting with airlines has been conducted to ensure a seamless transition.

Indo Thai Airport Services, which presently serves nine airports, will now temporarily manage ground handling at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which is India’s second-busiest airport, operated by the Adani Group-owned MIAL.

“CSMIA will transfer all existing employees of Celebi NAS at CSMIA to Indo Thai Airport Services on their existing terms and conditions of employment, thus ensuring no loss of employment and continued service delivery to airline partners. All ground handling equipment currently owned by Celebi NAS will be leased by Indo Thai Airport Services, in order to maintain continuity of service,” the MIAL statement mentioned.

MIAL also confirmed that it would initiate the Request for Proposal (RFP) process within three days to select a long-term ground handling partner, who will be onboarded in the next three months.

To ensure uninterrupted service, the airport reiterated that “a joint meeting was held with all affected airlines” for a stable handover of ground handling operations from Celebi NAS.

In a related development, Delhi airport operator DIAL has also officially ended its partnership with Celebi for both ground handling and cargo services atIndira Gandhi International Airport.

Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd and Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Pvt Ltd handled DIAL operations until the partnership ended.

According to Celebi’s website, the Turkish-owned company manages about 58,000 flights and handles 5.4 lakh tonnes of cargo annually at airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad and Chennai.