Despite India becoming the third-largest aviation market in the world, the country still has a bit to go before global component and engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) companies commit to setting up a dedicated facility in the country, Vikram Rai, Chief Executive Officer of GE Aerospace (South Asia), told Fe.
“Establishing a dedicated MRO requires a critical mass of engines to ensure the facility runs at rolling capacity. For a business case to be viable, the volume typically needs to reach 2,000 to 2,500 aircraft,” Rai said at the sidelines of the Wings India 2026 air show at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad.
He added that while over the past five to six years, Indian airlines have ordered around 1,300 aircraft engines, with 1,196 of them powered by GE or CFM International, a partnership between GE and Safran, there is still a shortfall of engines in the domestic market for a long-term dedicated MRO facility in the country.
Rai highlighted that currently, there are approximately 550 GE and CFM engines in India, with narrow-body engines (mostly CFM) typically requiring a major performance restoration every four years.
He highlighted that the timing for setting up a dedicated MRO in India was key for global companies, as they would want to see a regular inflow of engines once the facility is operational.
GE Local Investment
Rai also said that since 2000, GE Aerospace has operated a major research and development center in Bangalore, which currently employs over 1,000 engineers working on both current and next-generation engine technologies.
Additionally, the company has heavily invested in its multi-modal factory in Pune, injecting over Rs 500 crore in the last 18 months alone to bolster the production of engine parts and components, Rai said.
He added that GE Aerospace is particularly bullish on the wide-body aircraft segment, which it identifies as the next major phase of growth.
Rai highlighted that historically, India’s wide-body fleet peaked at around 45 to 50 aircraft, but there are now over 130 wide-body planes on order.
While India has made significant progress in maintaining its aircraft, handling most line and airframe maintenance internally, there is a considerable shortfall in component and engine maintenance, known as MRO. Currently, the only company offering engine maintenance services in India is AI Engineering Services (AIESL).
AIESL is the only engine repair station in India certified by DGCA, EASA, and FAA. It has full capabilities for several engines, including the CFM 56 -5B/7B, GE CF6-80C2, V2500 A1, and PW 4000. Additionally, AIESL offers partial capabilities for GE 90 and CFM 56-5B engines, as well as various APU types such as GTCP 131-90, GTCP 331-250H, GTCP 331-500B, PW901A, and APS 5000A.
The Overhaul Gap
India currently has about 700 commercial aircraft, with the recent orders from IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air, this number will shoot up to over 2000 in the next five years.
Jet engines typically require an overhaul after about 5,000 flight hours or 3,000 flight cycles, and the process generally takes between 60 and 90 days. Given these numbers, it is nearly impossible to manage the overhaul of all domestic aircraft engines in the country right now. As a result, only a few engines are overhauled at the AIESL facility, while most domestic aircraft engines are sent overseas for servicing.
Rai also highlighted that Safran recently broke ground on its 15,000 square meters LEAP MRO plant in Hyderabad, banking on the 2200 LEAP engines order from Air India and IndiGo. Anticipated to be one of Safran’s largest MRO facilities in the world, the company has planned an investment of approximately $163 million with plans to roll out by 2025. The facility will focus on manufacturing rotating parts for the LEAP engine from CFM International.
With Safran announcing its LEAP MRO plans, other engine manufacturers like Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney are also keeping a close watch on India’s changing aviation landscape.