Indamer Aviation, a prominent maintenance and repair organization in India, is gearing up to expand its capacity twofold within the next five years. In collaboration with the U.S.-based aviation services giant AAR Corp, Indamer plans to invest approximately Rs 550 crore in this significant expansion, as revealed by Prajay Patel, director at Indamer group.
Presently operating with a 60:40 joint venture with AAR Corp, Indamer aims to increase its hangar count from four to ten during the second phase of expansion. The ambitious plans also include diversification into new areas such as component repair, aircraft redelivery, and obtaining certifications for a broader range of aircraft, including Boeing and ATR, according to Patel.
The joint venture between AAR and Indamer Aviation commenced its MRO operations in India in 2021 and has rapidly become a crucial partner for India's largest airline, IndiGo. Patel emphasized the collaborative strength, highlighting Indamer's 80-year experience in Indian aviation MRO and AAR's contributions in digital systems, standards, and technical knowledge.
The rise of the joint venture has been closely tied to the growth of IndiGo, which has more than 1000 aircraft on order. IndiGo consistently sends its aircraft to the Indamer-AAR facility for maintenance, completing an impressive 100 C Checks within 2 years and 4 months. The C check is a comprehensive examination performed approximately every 20–24 months or after a specific number of actual flight hours.
SC Gupta, head of engineering at IndiGo, commended the on-time completion of maintenance work, expressing its importance for an airline like IndiGo. Thanks to the expansion of the local MRO facility, the airline no longer needs to send its aircraft abroad for maintenance, leading to cost savings and preventing foreign exchange losses.
Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia lauded the facility as a prime example of the MRO industry's potential in India. With a revamped policy, the government anticipates the MRO industry in India to double to $4 billion in the next 4-5 years. Rajeev Gupta, CEO of Indamer group, expressed the company's broader ambitions, aiming not only for Indian airlines but also focusing on carriers in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Gupta highlighted the company's aspiration to participate in the defense sector, specifically in the maintenance of the Air Force's helicopter and transport fleet.