Airbus, HAL To Partner On India-Based A320 MRO Facility | Airlines

Airbus has signed an agreement to help Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to establish a commercial MRO facility in the city of Nashik.

The agreement, announced on Thursday (Nov. 9), is part of Airbus’ strategy to support Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) growing its footprint in commercial aircraft MRO in India.

The airframe manufacturer says that the building of a new maintenance facility will enable it to support HAL’s efforts to service growing MRO demand in India’s expanding commercial fleet focusing particularly on the A320 family aircraft. As part of the agreement, Airbus will provide A320 tooling along with consultancy services to help establish the MRO hangar.

Construction work will commence on the facility in the near future and is expected to be completed by November 2024 after the necessary certifications are obtained from India’s regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). 

The facility will cater to A320 MRO needs leading to significant decrease in lead time, improving over turnaround time, and MRO cost reduction for Indian operators resulting increased fleet availability as per demand. 

Speaking on developing a strong and robust MRO ecosystem in India, Airbus’s president and managing director, Remi Maillard, further stressed the importance of development of a strong MRO infrastructure in India.

This agreement follows a recent order placed by Indian low-cost airline IndiGo for 500 A320 aircraft, taking the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by IndiGo to 1,330 aircraft. Such a large volume of aircraft entering the country’s has spurred MRO providers into exploring maintenance opportunities to support the fleet growth. In addition to IndiGo, the likes of Air India and Vistara are other notable A320 customers.

“An indigenous MRO infrastructure will not only help airlines streamline their aircraft operations, but also support the government’s aim of making India a global aviation hub,” adds Maillard. He also…

We use income earning auto affiliate links. More on Sponsored links.

Several ways to buy cheap airline tickets.
- Start searching at least 2 months in advance and sign up for email alerts so you'll always be notified when flight prices drop.
- Budget airlines typically offer the cheapest flights.
- Save money by taking your flight early in the morning or late at night.
- Consider flying on a weekday instead of a weekend.
- Use an aggregator site to compare prices across airlines.
- Once you have found the best trip, select it on the aggregator site and move to the airline’s direct website to book your tickets. Some aggregators allow you to book the ticket through their website, but there may be an additional service fee.