Boeing Accelerates MRO Localisation with Indian Partners

Boeing announced expansion of its partnerships within the Indian MRO ecosystem over the last year, having concluded considerable work agreements and deliveries with diverse indigenous partners across the public as well as private sectors, including with AI Engineering Services Ltd., Horizon Aerospace, and Air Works Group. The localization of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) to support Indian customers promptly and efficiently, remains a top priority for the company.

In 2021, Boeing launched the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) programme in its effort to help develop India into a regional MRO hub, enabling engineering, maintenance, skilling, repair and sustainment services of defence and commercial aircraft ‘in India, for India’. Under the initiative, Boeing has strategically collaborated with:

• Air Works, to recently complete Phase 32 heavy maintenance checks of six P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for the Indian Navy
• AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), for MRO of the Boeing 777 VIP aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force, and the P-8I aircraft fleet operated by the Indian Navy. Additionally, the company is exploring collaboration in repair and overhaul of landing gear and other commercial common 737NG equipment fitted on the P-8I fleet
• Horizon Aerospace, for MRO of the three key Boeing defence platforms in India, the P-8I operated by the Indian Navy (IN), and VIP 737 transport fleet operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF)

“Over a seven-decade presence in India, Boeing knows that a strong local aerospace and defence ecosystem is imperative for the business as much as it is for the success and mission-readiness of its customers. We have continued to invest in building indigenous MRO capabilities over the years, and with the BIRDS hub launched in 2021, are building a network of Indian suppliers that can support engineering, maintenance, skilling, repair and sustainment services of defence and commercial aircraft comprehensively and competitively. An important aspect of the BIRDS hub is training programs that are helping develop sub-tier suppliers and medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) to build high-quality MRO capabilities in India,” said president, Boeing India, Salil Gupte.

Boeing believes that the maturation and development of India’s local MRO ecosystem is a key imperative for success in the Indian market, and to enable faster turnaround times, and higher operability and mission-readiness critical for its Indian customers. The efforts and initiatives being undertaken by Boeing in India are aimed at building capability and capacity of indigenous organisations to gain prominence on a global scale.

“Our planned strategic collaboration with indigenous companies under the BIRDS hub program enables us to provide significant value-add to our customers locally by enabling faster turnaround, exceptional operational capability and mission readiness for the Indian armed forces. This also marks as an important step as part of our commitment to the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision of making India a regional MRO hub” said managing director, Boeing Defence India, Surendra Ahuja.

Over the last one year, Boeing has continued to add two suppliers every month. Its network includes over 300 supplier partners that are an integral part of its global supply base. Over a quarter of this number are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). These Indian companies are manufacturing and exporting systems and components for some of Boeing’s most advanced products from India to the world. Boeing’s investments with these partners span skilling, research & technology, and manufacturing. Its programmes have skilled more than 3,700 frontline aerospace manufacturing workers and aircraft maintenance engineers.