Celebi Airport Services bags ground handling license at KIAL

24 September, 2018: Celebi Airport Services, a global service provider in ground handling services, will soon start its operations at the Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) which is gearing up to go live for commercial flights this year. This will be Celebi’s sixth airport in India after Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, where the company won the ground handling licence in June 2018. The partnership with KIAL is the company’s second win in the state after Cochin International Airport. The total investment made by Celebi under this partnership will be worth more than $4 million.

The license for providing ground handling services at KIAL was won by Celebi on the basis of a highly competitive international bidding process which saw multiple global ground handling players participate. Under the 5+2 year concession, slated to commence this year, Celebi Airport Services will provide state of the art ground handling facilities and services for all aircraft types.

KIAL, being built on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, will be the fourth international airport in Kerala, the state that has maximum number of international airports. To develop commodities, create infrastructure, enhance tourism and provide better air connectivity in the state, the government is taking all possible steps to make the Kannur aerodrome operational this year.

The ground handling service provider stated in a press release that it will offer state of the art ground handling services using modern eco-friendly equipment as per IATA norms. Celebi’s vision of being the front runner in terms of technology, service excellence, customer centricity and safety focus, will ensure safe, efficient, customer friendly and environment friendly provisions at the airport.

Sharing his views on the development, Murali Ramachandran, CEO - India, Celebi Aviation Holding Inc., said, “At the time when we are focused on expanding our footprint within 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.”

The company is currently partaking in tenders initiated by Hyderabad International Airport and The Airport Authority of India.