GE Aviation, Air India sign 20-year MRO pact

GE Aviation has signed a 20-year engine maintenance agreement with Air India. The agreement covers the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of GE90 aircraft engines.

"Air India will expand its MRO capabilities at its Mumbai facility to include GE90 engine overhaul. The current schedule calls for the Mumbai facility to be certified for basic GE90 MRO by 2012. Eventually, Air India plans to build a new MRO facility in Nagpur that will include GE90 testing capabilities," said a release from GE Aviation.

"Air India has more than 40 years of providing high-quality MRO services in India. Adding GE90 engine overhaul service is the perfect expansion of Air India's MRO capabilities," said Nalin Jain, country director for GE Aviation.

While Air India develops its GE90 MRO capabilities, GE will provide the carrier with overhaul services to support the carrier's GE90 engine fleet.

Air India had ordered 23 GE90-powered Boeing 777 aircraft in 2005. It operates 20 of these and the remaining three will be delivered in the next few years.

The carrier has established partial capabilities to service GE90 engines in Mumbai. "Three engine overhauls were recently completed, saving us shipping costs and reducing our turnaround time. This will help us, as we prepare to take on third-party work in the facility," said K M Unni, SBU Head of MRO SBU and board member.