Air India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore-based SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC) to explore a collaboration in Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO), a move aimed at helping develop India as a global aviation MRO hub.

The MoU was signed in Mumbai on Thursday by Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson and SIAEC Chief Executive Officer Chin Yau Seng, the airline said in a statement.

The agreement builds on earlier collaborations between the two companies to strengthen maintenance and component support for Air India's expanding fleet and network. In February 2024, Air India signed a 12-year Inventory Technical Management (ITM) agreement with SIAEC covering component support for its Airbus A320 family fleet. In May 2024, SIAEC was appointed as Air India's strategic partner for base maintenance, tasked with developing the airline's base maintenance facilities in Bangalore.

The latest MoU aims to deepen the partnership by drawing on SIAEC's MRO and technical expertise to help build a world-class MRO ecosystem in India, Air India said. The collaboration could include the potential formation of an MRO joint venture in the country, serving the growing needs of the Indian and regional aviation markets.

"India's rapid aviation growth is driving the need for a stronger, more self-reliant MRO ecosystem within the country," Wilson said, adding that expanding fleet sizes and scaling operations make developing local maintenance capacity important for efficiency, resilience, and long-term growth. He said partnerships such as this joint venture could play a constructive role in developing India as a global aviation hub.

Chin said India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets and that the continued development of its MRO capabilities would strengthen its position within the global aerospace ecosystem. He said SIAEC looks forward to exploring how its technical expertise can support the progressive build-up of capabilities and capacity in India, alongside its ongoing partnership with Air India.

The potential collaboration is legally non-binding and is expected to be progressively firmed up with further developments in the future, the companies said.

Source: PR