India issued a warning to Turkish Airlines to strictly follow aviation regulations after surprise inspections revealed serious lapses in safety procedures. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out unannounced “safety oversight and ramp” inspections of Turkish Airlines’ passenger and cargo flights at four major airports — Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru — from May 29 to June 2. These inspections uncovered several violations, including one concerning the carriage of explosives without proper disclosure.

According to the aviation ministry, the cargo on one flight included dangerous goods, specifically explosives, which required prior permission from DGCA for transport to or from India. However, Turkish Airlines neither attached this required permission nor declared the explosives in its dangerous goods declaration, violating established safety protocols.

At Bengaluru airport, the DGCA found further irregularities related to ground operations. The marshaller responsible for guiding aircraft during ground movements lacked proper authorisation and did not possess a valid competency card for marshalling duties. Additionally, during the aircraft’s arrival, the designated maintenance engineer was unavailable. Instead, a technician performed the arrival procedure, which raised concerns about adherence to safety standards.

The inspections also revealed that Turkish Airlines did not have a formal service-level agreement with its ground handling agent at the airports. This gap in agreements resulted in a lack of accountability and proper monitoring of ground equipment used in handling Turkish Airlines’ operations.

Senior DGCA officials confirmed that these inspections were conducted on aircraft directly operated by Turkish Airlines. The regulator announced it would continue to monitor the airline’s operations closely and conduct follow-up inspections as necessary to ensure continuous compliance with safety standards. This warning highlights India’s commitment to enforcing strict aviation safety measures and holding airlines accountable for lapses.