GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), a subsidiary of infrastructure firm GMR Infrastructure, is at an advanced stage of talks with major aircraft engine manufacturers to set up engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities, said a top official on the condition of anonymity.

The move comes ahead of the airframe MRO facility set up on the airport premises in alliance with Malaysian Airlines set to take off by July. “The plan to set up engine MROs is aimed at turning Hyderabad into a regional hub for airliners,” said the official.

He said that the move is part of a strategy to turn the loss-making Hyderabad airport’s operations profitable in the backdrop of subdued real estate market in the city. “We are talking to almost all the major aircraft engine manufacturers to set up engine MRO facilities. Some of these engine manufacturers include Pratt & Whitney, CFM International, GE and Rolls Royce,” he said.

GHIAL also wants these aircraft engine manufacturers to set up their spare engines facility with 5-10 spare engines along with the engine MRO units, keeping in view the prolonged turnaround time now being taken for the repairs and overhauling of engines sent overseas, he said.

The engine MROs of 4-5 engine manufacturers together were expected to involve an investment of around Rs 500 crore and each of these units would be allotted 5-10 acres of land at the airport special economic zone.

As the current airframe MRO providers in India were unable to cope with the requirement of all the narrow and wide body aircrafts’ maintenance, most of the aircrafts are being sent to Malaysia and other MRO providers overseas for heavy maintenance. To cash in on the opportunity, GHIAL had in joint venture with Malaysian Airlines set up the airframe MRO facility.

“The airframe MRO at Hyderabad airport is equipped to handle all types of aircraft from light jets to super-jumbos such as A380. Since the airframe and engine MROs would be strategically located within close proximity to the four main cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore, it should make Hyderabad airport an integrated aviation facility for its key business partners,” the GMR top official said.

Further, he said GHIAL expects the availability of both airframe and engine MRO facilities to compel the airliners to go in for additional usages such as night parking and make Hyderabad their preferred destination and regional hub of operations, increasing the number of flights and connecting cities.

“We are currently in talks with five key airliners including Jet Airways, Indigo, Spice, Kingfisher and Air India to significantly enhance the connectivity from Hyderabad,” he said.