The GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ Ltd., a company of the GMR Group announced today that they have reached an in-principle agreement on terms with Indian Rotorcraft Ltd to locate an AW119ke helicopter assembly and flight testing facility at the GMR Aerospace Park in Hyderabad.
The 8-seat AW119Ke is a top-of-the-range helicopter in the single engine market and has excellent performance even in extremely hot and high operating environments. Over 190 AW119 helicopters have been ordered to date in around 30 countries by more than 90 customers. The AW119Ke is ideally suited to perform a wide range of tasks including law enforcement, utility, fire-fighting, EMS, VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport as well as military missions.
An area of 10 acres has been allocated within the aviation specific Special Economic Zone of the Aero Park with an option for future expansion of the current facility or in order to establish new capabilities. The site was selected by Indian Rotorcraft after an exhaustive process of evaluation of other potential sites in India. Indian Rotorcraft Ltd will commence construction after all necessary Governmental approvals are obtained. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered from the new facility in 2012.
The AW119Ke assembly line, the first of its kind in private sector in India will provide remarkable industrial opportunities in the aerospace sector in India and will enable the company to play an increasing role in the development of the Indian helicopter market.
Speaking on the development, GMR Group Chairman, Mr. GM Rao, said “We are pleased to welcome Indian Rotorcraft to the GMR Hyderabad Aerospace Park. Tata Sons and AgustaWestland are leaders in their respective fields and the GMR Group takes pride in being the chosen partner to these two eminent companies. I would like to wish the venture all success and I hope this sets a trend for many other leaders in the aviation sector to start making Hyderabad their home.”
About GMR Group
GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban Infrastructure. The Company has successfully employed the public-private partnership model to build a portfolio of high quality assets. The Company has 14 power projects of which 3 are operational (808 MW) and 11 projects (8448 MW) are under various stages of implementation. It has 9 road projects, of which 6 are operational (421 km) and 3 are under construction (309 km). In the Airports sector, the group operates 4 airports located at Delhi and Hyderabad in India, Istanbul in Turkey and Malé in the Maldives. Additionally, the Group is committed to social development initiatives and executes these through its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, the GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF).
For further information about the GMR Group, visit www.gmrgroup.in
About GMR Aerospace park:
GMR Aerospace Park is a part of the GMR Group, a well-established infrastructure conglomerate. Leveraging the group’s experience in infrastructure, the Aerospace Park presents ready-to-use infrastructure at its 250 acre premium SEZ facility. By virtue of the park being housed within Hyderabad Airport, the Aerospace Park enjoys greater security as well as access to the a Code F compatible runway equipped with Instrument Landing System category 1 at both ends. Supply of utilities like power and water are highly reliable and the park also enjoys the complete ecosystem like availability of hotel, housing, reliable and affordable transport etc.
GMR Aerospace Park offers the flexibility of choosing land within Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for businesses looking to serve foreign markets, and land in Domestic Tariff Area for businesses looking to serve India market. The SEZ benefits will directly benefit investors in maximizing economic value of their business, whereas the business in DTA can take advantage of being close to their customer base in India.
For further information about the GMR Aerospace Park, visit www.gmraerospacepark.in
About Indian Rotorcraft
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Tata Sons are establishing together in India, a final assembly line for the AW119Ke helicopter through a newly formed company, Indian Rotorcraft. Indian Rotorcraft will be responsible for AW119Ke assembly, completion and delivery for the worldwide market.
