IndiGo ties up with BIAL to build its second MRO facility in Bangalore
- IndiGo says the MRO facility, to be built on 5 acres in the KIAB premises, will be able to accommodate 2 narrow body aircraft
- The maintenance repair and overhaul facility is expected to be operational in 2020
InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, which operates India’s largest domestic airline IndiGo, will build its second aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre in Bengaluru to cater to a fast-growing fleet of mostly Airbus SE planes.
The facility will be built at the premises of the Kempegowda International Airport.
IndiGo on Thursday signed a 20-year pact with Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which runs the airport, to sub-lease five acres for the 13,000 sq.m. facility that will be able to service two narrow-body aircraft at a time once it opens in 2020, IndiGo said in a statement.
The airline currently operates an MRO in Delhi.
IndiGo, one of the biggest customers globally for Airbus, has a fleet of 209 planes comprising 126 A320ceos, 68 new generation A320neos, 14 ATR turboprops and one A321neo plane, according to its website.
Building its second MRO in India will allow IndiGo to save on the high costs incurred on servicing planes overseas.
Demand for MRO services has gained pace in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market in line with an expanding fleet of aircraft and as domestic airlines seek to cut costs.
The new facility will have support infrastructure, including a Quick Engine Change (QEC) shop which allows changing an aircraft engine with the least downtime, as well as warehouse and engineering offices for repair and maintenance.
“Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB), with its strategic location, will play an even more important role going forward. It is for this reason that IndiGo decided to build a hangar as the core of our maintenance centre in South,” said IndiGo’s chief operating officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer.
IndiGo, which leads the domestic market with a 41.5% share in 2018, operates over 1300 daily flights, connecting 52 local and 16 international destinations.
Hari Marar, managing director and chief executive of BIAL, said “the outcome of this agreement will create more connectivity and open new markets – further enhancing its growth.”
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First Published:31 Jan 2019, 10:14 PM IST
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