Hindustan Aeronautics And Airbus Sign Contract To Set Up Civil MRO Facility

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Airbus have signed a contract to establish a civil maintenance repair and overhaul facility for the A-320 family of aircraft in Nashik.

Airbus will provide tool packages along with specialised consulting services, which will help in growing the MRO facility and expanding the commercial fleet. The partnership with the largest European aircraft manufacturing company will help in promoting the Made-in-India mission and support self-reliance in the MRO industry in India, HAL said in an exchange filing.

HAL intends to set up the MRO facility and also provide airlines with an impressive MRO solution. “This set-up by HAL is also aligned to civil-military convergence and the Make-in-India mission of the Government of India," said Saket Chaturvedi, chief executive officer (MiG Complex), HAL.

Airbus is “committed to growing the aviation ecosystem in India”, along with a strong MRO system, said Remi Maillard, president and managing director at Airbus India and South Asia.

This collaboration between HAL and Airbus will help reduce lead time, improve turnaround time and reduce MRO costs. The facility will be ready for aircraft induction by November 2024, after approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The facility in Nashik will also be made available to the entire Asian region after approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in partnership with Airbus, the filing said.

Shares of HAL closed 0.66% lower at Rs 2,030.20 apiece, as compared with a 0.22% fall in the benchmark BSE Sensex.