In a bid to establish itself as a key player in the Indian MRO market, Air India has acquired five acres of land at the new Shamshabad Airport in Hyderabad where it is about to begin building a new MRO facility.

The new facility – expected to be completed within 18 months – will consist of a hangar for carrying out major maintenance of aircraft, and an annexe building to accommodate component overhaul shops and various engineering offices. The hangar will be capable of accommodating two A320 family aircraft simultaneously, or one B777/B747 aircraft.

Air India, which already has major engineering infrastructure in Mumbai and Delhi for maintenance of aircraft and engines, is aiming to emerge as a major third party MRO provider, aside from maintaining its own fleet. Its engineering department has more than 5,000 skilled engineers and technicians.

Air India’s engineering facilities are recognised as a certified repair shops both by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), as well as India’s domestic authorities.