Air Works

Eyeing the plum maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market for commercial liners in India, Air Works is simultaneously looking at acquiring and consolidating the highly fragmented Indian MRO market for private operations.Air Works CEO Fredrik Groth said while they will be the first to provide commercial aircraft MRO facility in India, they are looking at consolidating their presence in the corporate aviation MRO.Having received approval of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air Works would come up with its first MRO facility at Hosur near Bangalore. The company already has one hangar at Hosur airport that can house two turboprop ATR-72 size aircraft, would construct additional two larger hangars by 2009.
Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Deccan Air Cargo have the largest fleet of ATRs in the country. Air Works is likely to strike a deal with domestic carriers in the next one month, said Groth. “We have plans to pump in $40 million into the project,” he said, adding that the funds would be put into set up the additional hangars, the aircraft painting operations as well as for future engine and components facilities. It would provide services like line and base maintenance, aircraft painting, structural repairs, cabin and avionic upgrades. It would also offer component repairs and spare parts sourcing.The Indian carriers so far have had to either build up in house maintenance capabilities or send their aircraft abroad for servicing. The availability of MRO facility in India would substantially lower the costs for domestic airlines.