Air India Appoints SIA Engineering Company As Strategic Partner To Develop Maintenance Facilities

Air India has appointed SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC) as its strategic partner for the development of Air India’s Base Maintenance facilities at Bengaluru.

As part of the partnership, Air India will work closely with SIAEC on the planning, construction, development and operationalization of Air India’s Base Maintenance facilities in Bengaluru, India. Projected to be ready in 2026, the facilities will comprise both widebody and narrowbody hangars, including associated repair shops, to support the growing Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) needs of the aircraft fleet in Air India Group.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “The collaboration with SIA Engineering Company will not only help Air India become more self-reliant for the maintenance of its own fleet but it also reiterates our commitment to strengthen India’s aviation infrastructure by boosting the growth of the country’s MRO industry.”

Chin Yau Seng, Chief Executive Officer, SIAEC, said: “We are delighted to be able to play a small part in Air India’s amazing transformation journey and look forward to working closely with the Air India team to ensure the success of this project. This appointment marks another significant milestone in the development of the partnership between Air India and SIAEC. Going forward, we hope to have even more opportunities to collaborate with Air India in the MRO space in India.”

Air India had earlier announced setting up a state-of-the-art Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (operated by Bangalore International Airport Ltd) starting with Airframe Maintenance through the development of widebody and narrowbody aircraft hangars for all checks.

About Air India:

Founded by the legendary JRD Tata, Air India pioneered India’s aviation sector. Since its first flight on October 15, 1932, Air India has built an extensive domestic network with non-stop flights to cities around the world, across the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Far-East, South-East Asia, Australia, and the Gulf. After 69 years as a government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group in January 2022.

Air India is navigating through a major five-year transformation roadmap under the aegis of Vihaan.AI, with an ambition to become a world class airline with an Indian heart. The first two phases of this transformation journey were recently concluded and focused on fixing the basics. These included bringing back to service many long grounded aircraft, addition of talent across flying and ground functions, rapid upgradation of technology and strengthening of customer care initiatives amongst others. A member of Star Alliance, the largest global airline consortium of leading international airlines, Air India offers seamless connectivity and facilities to passengers all over the world.