DGCA surprise audit finds 4 violations in Turkish Airlines operations, including dangerous goods handling lapses
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out surprise Safety Oversight and Ramp (SOFA/RAMP) inspections of Turkish Airlines' passenger and cargo flights at four major Indian airports — Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru — between 29 May and 2 June 2025. The inspections were conducted under Article 16 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO) to assess compliance with international safety standards and DGCA regulations.
Following the inspections, the DGCA has directed Turkish Airlines to ensure full adherence to ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices as well as Indian civil aviation rules. The regulator warned that follow-up inspections will be conducted to verify ongoing compliance and urged the airline to promptly address the identified shortcomings.
Marshaller competency: At Bengaluru airport, the marshaller responsible for ground operations lacked proper authorisation and did not possess a valid competency card for marshalling functions, raising concerns about safe aircraft guidance on the apron.
Aircraft maintenance: During the arrival of an aircraft, a licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) was absent, and a technician performed the required arrival procedures instead. M/s Airworks is the authorised engineering service provider for Turkish Airlines.
Dangerous goods handling: Cargo was found to contain dangerous goods requiring explicit DGCA permission for carriage of explosives to, from, or over Indian territory. However, the necessary permission documentation was neither attached nor mentioned in the Dangerous Goods Declaration.
Ground handling agreement and equipment accountability: No formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) existed between Turkish Airlines and its Ground Handling Agent (GHA) at Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Ground support equipment such as ladders, step ladders, trolleys, and Ground Power Units (GPUs) lacked proper accountability and monitoring. Globe Ground India was providing ground services without a formal handover from the previous provider, Çelebi.
The DGCA has instructed Turkish Airlines to rectify these issues immediately to maintain the highest safety standards. Failure to comply could result in regulatory action, including restrictions on operations.
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