Embraer says it would establish a C-390 maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in India with local partner Mahindra Group if the government there buys the airlifter.

The MRO-focused agreement, announced Feb. 19, builds on a 2024 partnership the two companies disclosed around potential work on the aircraft in India, which was followed in October 2025 by a strategic agreement around local production.

New Delhi issued a request for information from manufacturers in early 2023 for an airlifter capable of carrying 18–30 tons of cargo that could potentially replace the Indian Air Force fleet of Antonov An-32s and operate alongside its existing Boeing C-17, Lockheed C-130J Hercules, and newly ordered Airbus C295s. Airbus has opened a C295 final assembly line in Gujarat, India.

“The proposed MRO facility will provide comprehensive in-country maintenance and sustainment for the C-390 fleet, supporting high levels of operational readiness and availability,” Embraer says. The site would provide base and heavy maintenance, structural inspections and testing, component repair and overhaul, avionics support and training, and the OEM notes.

Embraer says it would consider using the facility for other MRO work on other C-390s.

Source: Aviation Week