The MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Company (MGAE) is in talks with three more domestic and international airlines for offering aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here.
MGAE is a 50:50 joint venture partnership between GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) and Malaysian Aerospace Engineering Sdn.Bhd (MAE), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines Systems Berhad (MAS).
R V Seshan, CEO, MGAE said that the MRO facility has already signed five customers - Go Air, Spice Jet, Bank of China Aviation and another two undisclosed key companies.
"There are few other companies in the pipeline also. I cannot divulge the names at this time. We will for sure close another three customers in this quarter. It is both Indian and international," Seshan told PTI.
"All of them will be medium to long term contracts," he added.
The MRO complex, which was set up with an investment of Rs 350 crore, can perform base maintenance 'C' and 'D' checks for A320s, ATR 42s, ATR 72s and the new generation Boeing 737s to begin with.
It will build its capability gradually to provide maintenance services for Airbus 330s and Boeing 777s.
Currently, the facility has the capacity to do an estimated 200 aircraft checks annually, according to a statement issued by GMR earlier.
The facility has already obtained regulatory certifications from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for domestic airlines, as well as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for international flights, Seshan said.
The MRO facility is expected to help airlines deploy their aircraft back to operations in the fastest possible time, since it is located within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Hyderabad airport, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce has approved the GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ for increase/decrease in area of the sector specific SEZ at the airport.
It approved the addition as well as de-notification of 9.6315 hectare (23.8 acre) and 8.923 hectare (22.05 acre) respectively, making the area of the SEZ 102.63 hectare (253.6 acre), a notification from the Ministry said.
GMR has stated that the land proposed for de-notification is to be used for setting up of a Helicopter Assembly Unit with runway access, which will mainly cater to domestic market whereas the land is being added to meet the minimum land requirement for the SEZ.
