Celebi Airport Services wins ground handling services license of Kannur airport
Celebi Airport Services, a global service provider in ground handling services, has won the bid for the ground handling services of Kannur International Airport (KIAL). . This will be Celebi’s sixth airport in India including Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, which they won in June 2018. The other airports they are handling the ground operations in India are Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
Ground handling services include baggage-handling, aircraft cleaning and servicing, loading and unloading of food and beverages and movement of cargo, among others.
Çelebi has won the bid on the basis of a highly competitive international bidding process, where a number of international ground handling companies have participated. Under the 5+2 year license, which will commence this year, Celebi Airport Services will provide high-tech ground handling facilities and services for all aircraft types.
Kannur Airport, which is built on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, is the fourth international airport in Kerala, making the state with maximum number of international airports in India. Once Kannur Airport is operational, the state is expected have enhanced tourism activities and provide better air connectivity in the state.
Meanwhile, the first commercial flight has landed at the airport on 20th September 2018, accelerating the processes for full-fledged functioning of the airport, which is expected to be by next month.
Murali Ramachandran, CEO, India Celebi Aviation Holding Inc.
“At the time when we are focused on expanding our reach in the country, this partnership has proven to be a crucial step towards strengthening our presence and commitment in the India market. We already have our presence at the Cochin International Airport and now with our operations soon to start at the Kannur International Airport, we envision to comprehensively cover Kerala which is a good international market for many carriers,” said Murali Ramachandran, CEO – India, Çelebi Aviation Holding Inc, which handles the operations in India.
Çelebi Aviation Group has started its functioning in 1958 with the inception of Çelebi Ground Handling in Turkey, as the first privately-owned ground handling services company. The company is active in two continents, five countries and exceeding 13,000 employees.