GMR Aero Technic deploys new technology in form of 'inflatable hangar'

GMR Aero Technic, the maintenance, repair andoverhaul (MRO) division of GMR group, on Tuesday said it has deployed a new technology in hangar's operations, which will allow it to handle additionally 15-20 smaller base maintenance checks or 4-5 end-of-lease checks per year.

The technology in the form of 'inflatable hangar' can be used for severalpurposes, including scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, engine or landing gear replacement, GMR Aero Technic (GAT) said in a release.

GAT, which is the MRO division of GMR Air Cargo and Aerospace Engineering Ltd, is the only such facility in the Asian region to have installed such a hangar, it said.

The portable hangar is formed by low pressure tubes aligned parallel to each other forming a "rib-cage" structure. This woven polyester base cloth with PVC coating hangar is both fire retardant and water-proof, said the statement.

An automatic control system will be installed in the hangar to continuously monitor and control operative parameters, it said. The hangar is designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 158.4 km per hour and can handle temperatures from (-)30 degree Celsius to (+)70 degrees Celsius, it added.

The one bay narrow body inflatable hangar is sufficient to take one B737 or A320 series aircraft, which will add an additional bay to GAT's already existing seven bay capacity, said the statement.

It takes considerable amount of time to source an available hangar to undertake the unscheduled repairs.

On the contrary, an inflatable hangar is cost-effective, reduces downtime to a minimum, and saves time and money as compared to building a conventional hangar, GAT said.

Available in various sizes and made toorder, the inflatable hangar can be constructed in 3-4 months' time as against a conventional hangar, which usually takes more than 18 months to set up, and lasts 10-15 years.

The hangar is equipped with doors, lighting, fire detection and extinguishing and ventilation system with centralised computer-based monitoring system, including remote diagnostics, according to the statement.

GMR Aero Technic Chief Executive Ashok Gopinath said, "The latest addition of this inflatablehangar to our MRO will help us take additional business and support our customers in meeting their timelines and commitments of aircraft operations and re-deliveries."

Such hangars are used as a proper alternative to conventional hangars by MROs in Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for many years now, he said.

"In the long term, we are looking at adding a couple of more hangars aimed at upgrading to include wide body aircraft capability including painting, certain critical components workshops and military MRO business," Gopinath added.

The inflatable hangar will serve as a dedicated base maintenance facility complementing, the existing facility in GMR Aero Technic, Hyderabad, and help in optimising the already available resources in terms of manpower, tooling, support workshop, among others, said the statement.