Turkey Junks Claims Of Its Involvement In Maintenance Of Crashed Ahmedabad-London Air India Dreamliner

Turkey has denied any involvement in the maintenance of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad earlier this week.

Turkey's Directorate of Communications' Center for Countering Disinformation dismissed claims linking Turkish Technic to the ill-fated aircraft as "false".

Photo Credit: PTI

"The claim that the crashed aircraft was maintained by Turkish Technic constitutes disinformation aimed at manipulating public opinion regarding Turkiye-India relations," the directorate posted on X on Friday, a day after the London-bound Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.

The aircraft, which had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, crashed into the hostel premises of BJ Medical College shortly after take-off on Thursday afternoon. Remarkably, one passenger survived the crash.

The Turkish government clarified that "under the agreements made between Air India and Turkish Technic in 2024 and 2025, maintenance services are provided exclusively for B777-type wide-body aircraft. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in the accident does not fall within the scope of this agreement. To date, Turkish Technic has not conducted maintenance on any Air India aircraft of this type."

It also stated that it was "aware" of the firm that carried out the most recent servicing of the aircraft, but added that it was "beyond its scope to make a statement on this matter to avoid further speculation."

"The Center for Countering Disinformation will continue to monitor and take the necessary measures against efforts that target the reputation of our flagship brands, which represent Türkiye on the international stage. As the people of Türkiye, we sincerely share the grief of the Indian people over this tragic plane crash," the statement concluded.

This clarification comes nearly a month after a Turkish company managing operations at nine major Indian airports lost its security clearance, following Ankara's stance supporting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

On 15 May, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an order stating that the security clearance for Celebi Ground Handling India Private Limited was being "revoked with immediate effect in the interest of national security."

The decision followed reports that several drones used by Pakistan in the 8 May assault on India included Turkish-made models such as the Asisguard SONGAR and Bayraktar TB2, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle.

The controversy sparked a backlash, with numerous Indian tourists cancelling travel plans to Turkey.