India has raised serious safety concerns with Turkish Airlines after surprise inspections at four major airports uncovered violations, including one instance where explosives were allegedly flown without prior clearance.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted safety checks between 29 May and 2 June 2025 at Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru airports, identifying key lapses in handling dangerous goods and ground operations.
“The cargo contained dangerous goods for which prior approval from the DGCA is required for the carriage of explosives to or from India.
This approval was neither attached nor mentioned in the dangerous goods declaration,” the aviation ministry stated.
Additionally, operational irregularities were found, such as unauthorised personnel handling aircraft ground operations.
The DGCA has directed Turkish Airlines to comply with international aviation standards and Indian regulations, warning of further inspections in the near future.
