Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, Safran CEO Olivier Andries and others during the inauguration of French major Safran's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for aircraft engines, in Hyderabad.
Credit: PTI photo
Hyderabad: French aerospace and defence major Safran on Wednesday inaugurated its largest engine Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in Hyderabad, dedicated to servicing the Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion ( LEAP) engines, which power the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and M88 engines.
Spread over 45,000 square meters at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park in the city’s Special Economic Zone, the new centres will ramp up to handle 300 LEAP engine shop visits annually, supporting the rapidly expanding CFM International fleet that powers the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Developed with an investment of around Rs 1,300 crore, Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI) is the company’s first MRO operation by a global engine OEM in India. The facility will employ more than 1,000 skilled technicians and engineers once fully operational by 2035.
It is equipped with advanced process and inspection technologies to provide world-class maintenance and repair capabilities for India’s commercial aviation ecosystem.
India is now CFM’s third-largest market, with five carriers operating over 400 LEAP-powered aircraft and an additional 2,000 engines on order. In addition to the civil aviation MRO center, Safran has also opened a 5,000-square-meter facility adjacent to SAESI for servicing M88 engines that power the Dassault Rafale fighter jet.
The new M88 unit will handle maintenance of more than 600 engine modules annually, prioritizing the Indian Air Force fleet and also serving export customers. India currently operates 36 Rafale and 47 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft and has placed orders for 26 Rafale Marine variants.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the launch virtually, while Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy attended the ceremony in person.
“From today, India’s aviation sector is taking a new flight. Safran’s new facilities will help establish India as a global MRO hub,” Modi said.
He added that the projects will create high-tech employment and boost the Make in India initiative amid strong growth in domestic aviation. Indian airlines have collectively ordered more than 1,500 new aircraft.
Safran CEO Olivier Andriès said the new centres highlight India’s growing importance to the company’s long-term strategy.
“The two MRO centers in Hyderabad and our new joint venture with Bharat Electronics Limited underscore India’s role in Safran’s civil and defense markets. We will triple our revenue in India to exceed 3 billion euros by 2030, with half of it generated from our Indian sites,” he said.
He emphasised that Safran has been a partner to India’s armed forces for over seven decades, contributing to indigenous development through co-design of aircraft and helicopter engines.
The partnership continues to deepen as earlier this week, Safran signed a joint venture agreement with BEL to manufacture the Hammer, a modular air-to-surface weapon compatible with Rafale and HAL Tejas aircraft.
Safran also collaborates with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited through their venture SAFHAL, which recently began designing the Aravalli engine for two upcoming military helicopter platforms. The company currently operates 18 facilities across India and employs more than 3,000 people.