PM Modi inaugurated Safran’s MRO facility in Hyderabad, a major step to make India a global MRO hub. The facility will service LEAP engines, create over 1,000 jobs, and boost India’s ‘Make in India’ and Aatmanirbharta initiatives.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated Safran Aircraft Engine Services’ new Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad, marking the growth of India’s aviation sector at an “unprecedented pace.”
PM Modi said that India is dreaming big, doing bigger and delivering the best as he urged investors to come to India as co-creators in the journey of a developed India.
India’s Aviation Sector Growing at ‘Unprecedented Pace’
The Prime Minister, who attended the ceremony via video conferencing, said that the upcoming Safran’s largest Indian Engine Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park would strengthen India’s position as a global MRO hub.
PM Modi said the facility marked a significant step in India’s efforts to localise high-value aviation services and will “create opportunities for the youths in the world of high-tech space.”
“In the past few years, India’s aviation sector has advanced at an unprecedented pace. Today, India is among the fastest-growing domestic aviation markets in the world. Our domestic market is now the third-largest globally. The aspirations of the people of India are reaching the skies,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi noted that India historically depended on overseas facilities, with “85 per cent MRO work done on foreign land,” resulting in high costs and long aircraft grounding periods.
He said the government was now working to change this situation.
“With the rapid expansion of India’s aviation sector, the need for maintenance, repair and MRO services has grown significantly. Nearly 85 per cent of our MRO work was being carried out overseas, which increased costs, caused delays, and kept aircraft grounded for long periods. This is why the Government of India is now actively developing the country as a strong MRO hub,” PM Modi said.
“I hope Safran will continue to invest in India in the future at the same pace,” he said, congratulating the company on the launch.
The Prime Minister highlighted rapid expansion in the domestic aviation market, which has emerged as the world’s third-largest. He said rising passenger demand and fleet expansion by Indian carriers, who have ordered over 1,500 new aircraft, had sharply increased the need for MRO services within the country.
Details of the New SAESI MRO Facility
SAESI is Safran’s dedicated Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility for LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines, which power the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
The establishment of this facility marks a significant milestone, as it is not only one of the largest global aircraft engine MRO facilities but also the first time, a global engine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) has set up an MRO operation in India.
Spread across 45,000 sqm within the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park – SEZ, the state-of-the-art facility has been developed with an initial investment of around Rs 1,300 crore.
Designed to service up to 300 LEAP engines annually, the SAESI facility will employ over 1,000 highly skilled Indian technicians and engineers upon achieving full operational capacity by 2035.
The facility will feature advanced process equipment to deliver world-class engine maintenance and repair services.
The MRO facility will be a huge step towards the goal of Aatmanirbharta in the aviation sector. Developing indigenous capabilities in MRO will reduce foreign exchange outflows, create high-value employment, strengthen supply-chain resilience and position India as a global aviation hub.
Safran’s Future Commitments and ‘Make in India’ Push
Global defence and aviation major Safran affirmed that it will “multiply by five” its sourcing from India, as it inaugurated its largest MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) centre for the CFM International LEAP engine in Hyderabad.
Safran CEO Olivier Andriès also vowed that it will triple its revenue in India to exceed 3 billion euros by 2030, of which half will be generated by its sites in India.
Safran CEO Olivier Andriès said, “I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Government for their support and trust, which makes our growth in India possible. The two new MRO centers in Hyderabad dedicated to the LEAP and M88 engines — and our new joint venture with BEL — underscore India’s importance to our Group. We’re proud to support the rapid growth of India’s civil and defense aerospace markets and actively contribute to the country’s Make in India policy and strategic autonomy.”
According to a statement from Safran, the Group also announced two defence investments to support the Rafale program in India. These announcements are part of its commitment to “Make in India,” bolstering local manufacturing and creating jobs in the civil and military aerospace sectors.
A Gateway for More Foreign Investment
Talking to reporters after the inauguration Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that Safran’s MRO initiative is going to open up the space, create more trust, more confidence in the foreign players to come to India.
“We see this as a major intervention that Safran has done here because this is a foreign MRO, foreign OEM which has come to India and openly set up by partnering up with India. So this is going to open up the space, create more trust, more confidence in the foreign OEMs to come to the country,” he told the reporters.
“We see today’s inauguration of the Safran as a gateway to more MROs to come into the country,” he added.
The new engine test bench at Safran’s Hyderabad facility, the minister said, will reduce aircraft engine maintenance time by about 25 per cent.
“…The test bench that they have created for the MRO facility here in Hyderabad airport, this is going to reduce the time that it takes to maintain the aircraft engine by 25 per cent.”
The establishment of this facility marks a significant milestone, as it is not only one of the largest global aircraft engine MRO facilities but also the first time, a global engine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) has set up an MRO operation in India. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)