ARC NEWS
India revokes security clearance for groundhandler Celebi
May 16, 2025
India's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India, effectively stopping its operations at Mumbai, Delhi and seven other airports around India. An order dated 15 May shows that the clearance was "revoked with immediate effect in the interest of National Security". Minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol says in a post on X that the government had "received requests from across India to ban Celebi NAS Airport Services India Ltd, a Turkish company operating ground handling services at Indian airports." There have been several calls to boycott companies linked with Turkiye in India after the country expressed support for Pakistan during its recent conflict with India. No details of a specific national security threat posed have been released by New Delhi, however a statement from civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu says that the civil aviation ministry is " fully committed to ensuring that passenger convenience, cargo operations, and service continuity remain unaffected". Soon after the order was issued, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) issued a statement saying that it had "formally ended its association with Celebi entities responsible for ground handling and cargo operations" at the facility. In response to the revocation, Celebi Aviation India released a statement in which it outlined that it is 65% owned by "international institutional investors from across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Western Europe". It also refuted social media posts that allege security concerns at its air cargo terminal in Delhi, adding that it remains "in full compliance with Indian aviation, national security and tax regulations".


Changi airport breaks ground on Terminal 5
May 16, 2025
Singapore Changi airport has broken ground on its mammoth fifth terminal, the first phase of which will open in 2030 that will consolidate all operations of the Singapore Airlines Group. Terminal 5, which is located in the Changi East precinct, will initially have capacity to handle around 50 million passengers per year, with capacity to expand in phases in line with traffic growth. "Our vision is for T5 to be mega yet cosy, a terminal that embraces the Changi DNA – delivering a personalised, stress free and positively surprising airport experience. As a new gateway to Singapore, T5 offers new possibilities and will bring new surprises.," says Changi Airport Group chief executive Yam Kum Weng. Changi airport says that facility "will be designed with the flexibility to operate as smaller sub-terminals when needed", such as when there may be a need to segregate high-risk passengers. T5 will be linked to the four other terminals at Changi, and will also have extensive ground transport links, including the possibility of sea connectivity to nearby ferry destinations. Singapore's then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the plans to build T5 in 2013, and earthworks at the site commenced the year after. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 however the decision was made to pause the project, and work resumed in 2024. Design work is being led by a consortium led by KPF Associates, in partnership with Heatherwick Studio and Architects61.


Qatar Airways to acquire 210 new Boeing widebodies
May 15, 2025
Qatar Airways has signed a $96 billion deal to acquire 210 Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines, according to a 14 May White House press release. "This is Boeing's largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order. This historic agreement will support 154,000 US jobs annually, totalling over 1 million jobs in the United States during the course of production and delivery of this deal," the White House says. In July 2024, Boeing revealed that Qatar Airways placed an order for 20 777-9s attributed to an undisclosed customer in data published by the airframer after the deal was finalised earlier that year. The order brought Qatar's firm orders for the 777X to 94. The Doha-based carrier has further outstanding Boeing orders for eight 787-9s, Cirium fleets data shows. With Airbus, it has orders for 50 A321neos and 18 A350-1000s. GE Aerospace chairman and chief executive Larry Culp says in a statement GE Aerospace shared with Cirium: "We are extremely honoured to deepen our relationship with Qatar Airways and grateful to them for placing their trust in us with our largest-ever widebody engine deal. Our widebody engines – the GE9X and GEnx – are marvels of modern engineering, with the durability and reliability to power flight across the longest distances. We appreciate President Trump's support for this historic agreement."


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