NEW DELHI: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Airbus on Thursday signed a contract for establishing Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities for Airbus-320 (A-320) family of aircraft during a function in Bengaluru.
“This collaboration with the largest European aircraft manufacturing company will strengthen the Make-in-India mission by achieving self-reliance in the aircraft MRO industry in India,” HAL said in a statement. HAL intends to establish an integrated MRO service in India and seeks to provide commercial airlines with a one-stop MRO solution.
Elaborating further on the collaboration, HAL said, “Airbus will supply the A320 family tool package and offer specialised consulting services to HAL to establish MRO facility for A-320 family of aircraft. The partnership between HAL and Airbus will support the growing demand for MRO services in the country and expand the commercial fleet, especially the A320 family of aircraft.”
“HAL wants to establish an integrated MRO hub in the country and provide the airlines with an effective MRO solution. This step by HAL is also aligned to civil-military convergence and the Make-in-India mission of the Central government,” said Saket Chaturvedi, CEO (MiG Complex), HAL.
According to Rémi Maillard, president and managing director of Airbus India and South Asia, the company is committed to growing the aviation ecosystem in India and development of a strong MRO infrastructure is a key element of this ecosystem.
Once established, the facility will be a one-of-its-kind in the country. The HAL-Airbus collaboration envisages substantial reduction in lead time, improved turnaround time and reduction in MRO costs, thereby increasing availability of the fleet for flight operations.
The MRO facility for the A-320 aircraft family would be established and be ready for aircraft induction by November 2024, with approval from Directorate General of Civil Aviation. In future, this Nashik facility will also be available for the entire Asian region after obtaining the approval of European Union Aviation Safety Agency in partnership with Airbus.
Under the agreement, Airbus will also offer HAL access to AirbusWorld, a digital platform that offers support, technical data and training solutions. Airbus began as a consortium of aircraft makers called Airbus Industries. Later, in 2001, it became a joint-stock company. It was owned by European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) (80 per cent) and BAE Systems (20 per cent). BAE sold its part of the company to EADS in October 2006, so EADS now completely owns the company.
In terms of size, Boeing 747, the ‘Queen of the Skies’, dominated for decades. Airbus took it head-on first by making an even larger plane, the double-decker A-380. Both planes were quad-jets designed for long-haul, high-volume flights where getting the cost per seat mile as low as possible was the goal. Air India operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, serving 102 domestic and international destinations. The airline has its hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, alongside several focus cities across India.