Indian carrier Air India celebrated the ground breaking ceremony of the construction of mega MRO facility in Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) earlier today.
SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) has been appointed by Air India under Tata group, as its Base Maintenance strategic partner for the development of the facilities.
SIAEC will be involvement in the planning, construction, and development phases, followed by the operationalization of the facility.
Air India expects that the base maintenance facility, aimed at completion in 2026, will comprise hangars for widebody and narrow-body aircraft, along with the repair shops.
In May this year, Chin Yau Seng, the Chief Executive Officer, SIAEC, said:
“We are delighted to be able to play a small part in Air India’s amazing transformation journey and look forward to working closely with the Air India team to ensure the success of this project. This appointment marks another significant milestone in the development of the partnership between Air India and SIAEC. Going forward, we hope to have even more opportunities to collaborate with Air India in the MRO space in India.”
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air India, said in May 2024:
“The collaboration with SIA Engineering Company will not only help Air India become more self-reliant for the maintenance of its own fleet but it also reiterates our commitment to strengthen India’s aviation infrastructure by boosting the growth of the country’s MRO industry.”
The former MRO unit (under Indian Government), Air India Engineering Services (AIESL), previously supporting the base maintenance activities for the erstwhile national carrier, continued to be under government ownership.
As per sources, Indian Government is exploring options to divest its stake in Air India Engineering Services (AIESL) in the future.
In another development, Lufthansa Technik has signed a multi-year agreement to take over the Total Component Support (TCS) for Air India’s Boeing 777 fleet, encompassing services for a total of 27 aircraft.
Recently, Air India completed all the formalities to merge Vistara, a premium service carrier in India, also a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, to consolidate its business in aviation industry.
As per the merger conditions and regulatory approval, Post merger, the Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Tata Group-owned Air India.
Pictures Courtesy : NDTV Profit India
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