Hyderabad Airport and MAE sign agreement for MRO JV company

The JV company, known as MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Company Ltd., will be built on the eastern side of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.

The agreement was signed by Mr.P.S.Nair, CEO of GHIAL and Mr.Mohd Roslan Ismail, MD of MAE, in the presence of His Excellency Dato’ Tan Seng Sung, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to India; Mr.G.M.Rao, Group Chairman, GMR, Mr.N.Sadasivan, Deputy Chairman, Malaysia Airlines and Mr.Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Business Chairman-Airports, GMR Group.

Mr. Rao said, “Despite the economic downturn, there are over 350 aircraft in operations currently. We expect that more than 200 new aircraft will be headed for India in the next few years, with a possible ten-fold increase of 2,000 new planes in the next 10-15 years.

“All this makes us bullish for the future, and we are confident that the strategic location of Hyderabad, just two hours away from all the major Indian metros and less than four hours away from all the SAARC countries, will ensure that our country’s forex reserves receive a big boost.”

Malaysian Airlines, Deputy Chairman, Mr. Sadasivan said, “Our aim is to position the JV company as a leading MRO player. Our facility, catering to both narrow and wide bodied aircraft checks, will be up and running by the third quarter of 2010. Built specially to service aircraft in the Indian subcontinent, we have the capacity to service between 60-80 aircraft annually. This will also give us a head start when the economy recovers, and we will add new capacity as needed.

“I am delighted to say that many airlines have expressed interest in our MRO services. Announcements will be made as and when the details are finalized.”

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 02-Mar-09

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