Air India To Reassess Ties With Turkish Technic Amid Geopolitical Sensitivities, Says CEO Wilson
Air India’s relationship with Turkish Technic was largely born out of necessity, Wilson explained.
Air India Ltd. is reviewing its ongoing maintenance partnership with Turkish Technic in the wake of recent geopolitical developments and heightened public sensitivity surrounding India's diplomatic tensions with Turkey.
Speaking in an interview following the announcement that IndiGo is rolling back its lease arrangement with Turkish Airlines, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson acknowledged the airline's existing ties with Turkish Technic, which is currently overhauling and refurbishing some of the carrier’s widebody fleet.
“We didn’t expect this development,” said Wilson, referring to the public and governmental response to Turkey’s perceived support for Pakistan during the recent India–Pakistan hostilities. “We’ll be reconsidering where we send aircraft and obviously trying to find alternatives,” he told NDTV.
Air India’s relationship with Turkish Technic was largely born out of necessity, Wilson explained. “Since privatisation, we’ve significantly increased our widebody aircraft count, but India has limited capacity to maintain them domestically. AIESL [Air India Engineering Services Limited] is essentially the only option within India, and even they don’t have the full capability to handle the scale of maintenance and refurbishment we require.”
As a result, Air India has been sending aircraft to multiple international locations for servicing, including Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Turkey. However, Wilson confirmed that in light of recent events, Air India is actively seeking other providers.
“Aircraft must be maintained — we have no choice about that. Some aircraft are already under maintenance, but for those about to enter refurbishment, we’re exploring alternative service providers.”
When asked if this could mean severing ties with Turkish Technic, Wilson was direct: “Yes. I think we want to respect public sentiment. If there is a concern about continuing business in this fashion, we’ll find alternatives.”
Separately, Wilson addressed concerns raised over pilot fatigue on ultra-long-haul routes, especially with longer flight paths resulting from ongoing airspace restrictions over Pakistan.
“Let’s be clear — flight duty time limits are prescribed by the regulator and based on hard science. We fully comply with those limits,” he stated, assuring that safety is not being compromised.
Wilson also reaffirmed Air India’s focus on fleet modernisation, with major refurbishment underway across aircraft as part of the carrier’s broader transformation since its return to private ownership.
