Baseless Allegations from Indian Media Target Turkish Technic Over Air India Crash

A national television channel in India has made baseless claims regarding the recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London before it went down shortly after takeoff. In its report, the channel falsely suggested that the aircraft had previously undergone maintenance by Turkish Technic, casting unwarranted suspicion on the Turkish company.

However, Turkish Technic has never provided maintenance services for any of Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft. The company’s cooperation with Air India has been limited exclusively to Boeing 777s. There is no agreement, past or present, between Turkish Technic and Air India regarding the 787 fleet.

The report further speculated about a “deliberate influence” by Turkish entities, citing Turkey’s close ties with Pakistan—an insinuation made without any factual basis. Despite offering no evidence, the channel aired these claims in a sensationalist attempt to sway public opinion.

Unrelated to the crash, it is worth recalling that amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Air India had previously decided to terminate its Boeing 777 maintenance contracts with Turkish Technic. Around the same time, Turkish ground handling company Çelebi also had its licenses revoked at Indian airports.