PM Modi to inaugurate Safran’s ₹1,300-crore aircraft engine MRO hub in Hyderabad on Nov 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday, November 26, inaugurate Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI), a major aircraft engine maintenance hub in Hyderabad.

The facility, located at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park SEZ near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, will be launched by the prime minister via video conferencing at 10 am, the government said in a statement on Tuesday.

SAESI is a dedicated Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) centre for LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines, which power widely used narrow-body aircraft, including the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX fleets.

It has been developed by French aerospace major Safran with an initial investment of about ₹1,300 crore.

This is the first time a global aircraft engine original equipment manufacturer has established an MRO operation in India.

Spread across 45,000 sq metres, the state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to service up to 300 LEAP engines annually. It is expected to employ more than 1,000 skilled technicians and engineers once it reaches full operational scale by 2035.

The government said the project will significantly advance India’s goal of achieving self-reliance in aviation under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.

At present, a majority of Indian commercial aircraft engines are serviced abroad, which leads to higher turnaround time and substantial foreign exchange outflows.

“Developing indigenous capabilities in MRO will reduce foreign exchange outflows, create high-value employment, strengthen supply-chain resilience and position India as a global aviation hub,” the statement said.

The Centre has taken several policy measures in recent years to attract MRO investments, including rationalising Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates in 2024, rolling out the MRO Guidelines 2021, and providing regulatory clarity under the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016.

India is among the world’s fastest-growing civil aviation markets, with air traffic expected to more than double over the next decade.

The inauguration of the SAESI facility “marks a significant milestone, as it is not only one of the largest global aircraft engine MRO facilities but also the first time, a global engine OEM has set up an MRO operation in India,” the statement added.