With India’s aviation sector having taken off, quite literally, over the past one decade , an increasing number of number global airline majors have chosen to set up shop in the Indian market, and are looking forward to expand existing facilities in order to keep up with the demand for their services, often extending much beyond their core functional areas. Simultaneously, it has also opened the doors for a number of domestic firms to try and cash in on the possibilities thrown up by the requirement for ancillary facilities that will inevitably crop up as more and more Indian airlines step up their operations keeping in view the growth in projected passenger traffic over the next 5 years, largely on the back of rapid growth in the Indian economy, high disposable incomes and rising middle-class aspirations. A good example of the growing ambitions of domestic infrastructure majors can be found in the recent decision of the GMR group to enter into discussions with major aircraft engine manufacturers in regard to the setting up an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities centre in Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad-based group, that is all set to inaugurate an airframe MRO unit at the GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ Limited in July, is keen on having the leading engine manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney, CFM International, GE and Rolls-Royce to set up an engine MRO that could provide the necessary support to grounded aircrafts vis-à-vis their engine requirements. India’s aviation sector is expected to order upwards of 1150 aircraft over the next ten years, and given such huge figures, it makes eminent sense for them to set up MRO facilities that would go a long way in addressing the demands that will inevitably arise over the course of the next 10-15 years, and GMR is making sure that it doesn’t get left behind in the race. The GMR aviation SEZ in Hyderabad, which is already host to Indian Rotorcraft, a Tata Group company, is hoping to attract investment to the tune of nearly Rs.500 Crores once the engine makers actually do come in. Having established itself as leading player in the construction business, GMR is going all out in its attempts to diversify into the aerospace sector, with special focus on the MRO facilities. Given the enormous potential that exists, one can’t blame them for trying.