Paris firm setting up MRO unit in Hyd

Hyderabad GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ Ltd (GHASL), a GMR Group company, has entered into a Land Lease Agreement with Safran Aircraft Engines Services India Pvt Ltd , a subsidiary of Safran. As part of the deal, it’ll lease land to the Paris-based aerospace company to build and operate the Engine MRO facility for LEAP turbofan engines.

The construction of the facility will commence in September 2023. The facility is expected to be handed over in December 2024. This facility in Hyderabad will be the largest MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) centre in the Safran Aircraft Engines network, it said, adding operations are set to commence in 2025 and will provide employment to about 1,000 workers at its peak operation capacity.

GMR in a release said that 23.5 acres of the land parcel within the SEZ area of GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park here, will occupy around 36,500 sqm of built-up space. The initial capacity of facility is to service 100 engines per annum and the company will gradually increase it to around 300 engines by 2035. It will also generate ample employment opportunities in Telangana.

Aman Kapoor, CEO at GMR Airport Land Development, said: “We are excited to announce that Safran has chosen GMR Industrial Park after a thorough global assessment and has entered a lease agreement to set up one of the largest Engine MROs in the world.”

Nicolas Potier, vice-president (support & services) Safran Aircraft Engines, adds: “I extend my congratulations to GMR on being selected to provide the location for our new MRO shop in Hyderabad. This MRO project, which is a significant investment in our future in India, will bring additional key capacity to support the operations of our airlines customers and will also contribute to the extension of the aeronautical ecosystem in the Hyderabad International Airport area.”