Turkey Dismisses Claims of Turkish Firm’s Role in Air India 171 Maintenance

Turkey Denies Involvement of Turkish Technic in Maintenance of Crashed Air India Flight AI-171

The Turkish government has firmly denied any involvement of Turkish Technic—the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) subsidiary of Turkish Airlines—in the upkeep of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing 241 people.

In an official statement, Turkey’s communications directorate dismissed as “false” and “disinformation” the claims circulating on social media that linked Turkish Technic to the maintenance of the ill-fated AI-171 aircraft. The government accused those spreading the claims of attempting to manipulate public opinion and distort India-Turkey relations.

Turkey Responds to Maintenance Allegations
The denial came in response to posts on social media, which alleged that the aircraft involved in the crash was maintained under a deal signed between Air India and Turkish Technic in February 2025. However, Ankara clarified that the agreement pertained solely to Boeing 777 aircraft.

“The claim that the maintenance of the Boeing 787-8 passenger aircraft was carried out by Turkish Technic following the crash of an Air India passenger aircraft during takeoff is false,” the Turkish government said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on June 13.

“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.”

The Turkish government also emphasized that Turkish Technic has never serviced any Boeing 787-8 aircraft for Air India.

Background on the Air India–Turkish Technic Deal
Contrary to Turkey’s clarification, a Times of India report dated June 1 suggested that Turkish Technic had been conducting heavy maintenance for some of Air India’s Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson had also recently indicated that the airline intended to gradually reduce its dependence on Turkish Technic for wide-body aircraft maintenance, as part of a broader overhaul of its MRO strategy.

Meanwhile, Hürriyet Daily News reported that the 2025 agreement with Turkish Technic includes extensive component support services—such as repair, overhaul, and logistics—for Air India’s upcoming fleet of Boeing 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft operated by Air India Express.

Turkish Technic CEO Mikail Akbulut was quoted saying, “The continuation of our cooperation is a testament to our reliability in component support, supply, and solution services.”