GMR Group keen to set up engine MRO hub at Hyderabad

Hyderabad: GMR Group, the operator of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, is in talks with aircraft engine manufacturers to set up engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities, according to sources.

MAS GMR Aerospace Engineering Company Pvt Ltd, a Group company now wants aircraft engine manufacturers to set up their shops here, making Hyderabad an integrated hub for aerospace industry.

The Group is in talks with various aircraft engine manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney, CFM International, GE and Rolls-Royce to set up an engine MRO that can also supply spare engines to aircrafts when they are grounded for repair, sources said.

If the talks are successful, the SEZ could see atleast Rs500 crore in investments from engine makers.

MAS GMR is set to inaugurate an airframe MRO unit in July this year at the GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ near the airport.

Currently it takes ten days to turnaround an aircraft after its engine is sent for service to either Dubai or Singapore. The aircraft operates on spare engines in that time frame.

"We are in talks with the companies to keep five or ten of their engines here in our SEZ so that when the engine needs service, it need not be sent abroad. Airlines will save lot of time and money. All it requires is 5 to 10 acres of land," sources said.