The MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Company Ltd (MGAE), is in talks with three more domestic and international airlines for offering aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services at the Rajiv Gandhi international Airport here.
MGAE is a 50:50 joint venture partnership between GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) and Malaysian Aerospace Engineering Sdn Bhd (MAE), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines Systems Berhad (MAS).
R.V. Seshan, CEO, MGAE said the MRO facility has already signed five customers — GoAir, SpiceJet, Bank of China Aviation and two other undisclosed key companies.
“There are few other companies in the pipeline also. I cannot divulge the names at this time. We will for sure close another three customers in this quarter, both Indian and international,” Seshan told PTI.
“All of them will be medium- to long-term contracts,” he added.
The MRO complex, which was set up with an investment of Rs 350 crore, can perform base maintenance ‘C’ and ‘D’ checks for A320s, ATR 42s, ATR 72s and the new generation Boeing 737s to begin with. It will build its capability gradually to provide maintenance services for Airbus 330s and Boeing 777s.
Currently, the facility has the capacity to do an estimated 200 aircraft checks annually, according to a statement issued by GMR earlier.
The facility has already obtained regulatory certifications from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for domestic airlines, as well as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for international flights, Seshan said.
The MRO facility is expected to help airlines deploy their aircraft back to operations in the fastest possible time, since it is located within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Hyderabad airport, he added.