Turkey denies claims linking its firm with maintenance of crashed Air India Dreamliner

Turkey's Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation said that the claim about the Turkish Technic carrying out the maintenance of the Boeing 787-8 passenger aircraft was “false”.

“The claim that the crashed aircraft was maintained by Turkish Technic constitutes disinformation aimed at manipulating public opinion regarding Turkiye-India relations,” the centre said in an X post on Friday.

The London-bound flight with 242 on board crashed into the premises of the BJ Medical College hostel complex moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. One passenger miraculously survived.

On Friday, the total number of fatalities including those killed on ground reached 250 amid fears that the toll might even go up.

“Under the agreements made between Air India and Turkish Technic in 2024 and 2025, maintenance services are provided exclusively for B777-type wide-body aircraft. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in the accident does not fall within the scope of this agreement. To date, Turkish Technic has not conducted maintenance on any Air India aircraft of this type,” it added.

It claimed that it was “aware” of the company that performed the most recent maintenance on the crashed aircraft, but said it was “beyond its scope to make a statement on this matter to avoid further speculation”.

“The Center for Countering Disinformation will continue to monitor and take the necessary measures against efforts that target the reputation of our flagship brands, which represent Türkiye on the international stage. As the people of Türkiye, we sincerely share the grief of the Indian people over this tragic plane crash,” it said.

The statement comes nearly a month after a Turkish firm that handled the services at nine major airports in India lost its security clearance following Turkey's support of Pakistan over Operation Sindoor.