MoU to explore partnership to contribute towards
developing India as a global aviation MRO hub
Mumbai – Air India, India’s leading global airline, announced the signing of
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SIA Engineering Company Limited
(SIAEC) to explore a collaboration in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
which will contribute to the development of India as a global aviation MRO hub.
The MoU was signed in Mumbai on 3 July 2026 by Air India
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, and SIAEC Chief
Executive Officer, Chin Yau Seng.
This follows Air India’s
earlier collaborations with SIAEC to strengthen maintenance and component
support for its growing fleet and
network expansion:
(a) Signing of a 12-year Inventory Technical Management (ITM) agreement
with SIAEC for extensive component support coverage for Air India’s current
fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft on 21 February 2024;
(b) Appointment of SIAEC as Air India’s Base
Maintenance strategic partner for the development of the airline’s Base Maintenance facilities located in Bangalore on 11 May
2024.
The latest MOU
aims to deepen the partnership between both parties by tapping
on SIAEC’s MRO and technical
expertise to bolster Air India’s established airline operations network by jointly developing a world-class MRO ecosystem in India. This collaboration could include
the potential formation of an MRO Joint Venture in India, serving the increasing needs of the Indian and regional aviation markets.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “India’s rapid aviation growth is driving the need for a stronger, more self-reliant MRO ecosystem within the country. As fleet sizes expand and operations scale up, developing local maintenance capacity will be important to support efficiency, resilience and long-term growth. Partnerships such as this can play a constructive role in enabling that broader direction and developing India as a global aviation hub.”
Chin Yau Seng, Chief Executive Officer SIAEC,
said: “India is one of the world’s fastest-growing
aviation markets, and the continued development of its MRO capabilities will be
an important
step in strengthening its position
within the global aerospace ecosystem.
Through this MOU, we look forward to exploring how SIAEC’s technical expertise can support the progressive build-up of capabilities and capacity in India, alongside our ongoing partnership with Air India.”
The potential collaboration, which is legally non-binding, is likely to be progressively firmed up with material developments in future.