Boeing Partners with AIESL for Component MRO to Support Indian P-8I Fleet

On 13 August 2024, Boeing announced that it is partnering with AIESL to provide in-country overhaul services of critical components for the Indian Navy’s fleet of 12 Boeing P-8I aircraft. As part of the partnership, the first landing gear overhaul of a P-8I aircraft was recently completed at INS Rajali. This is a first in India and reflects the growth in India’s indigenous capabilities for undertaking complex Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services.

“Through this partnership with AIESL, we continue to make strategic investments in India’s MRO capabilities that enhance mission readiness rates for the Indian Navy. Developing local MRO capabilities is critical for reducing repair turnaround time and aircraft downtime, thereby improving the mission readiness of customer fleets,” said president, Boeing India and South Asia, Salil Gupte.

The Boeing P-8I, a multi-role Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare (LRMR ASW) aircraft, is integral to the Indian Navy’s maritime surveillance missions in the Indian Ocean.

CEO, AI Engineering Services Limited, Sharad Agarwal said, “We are proud to partner with Boeing, and for successfully completing the landing gear overhaul of the P-8I aircraft, a first in India. It is a significant step towards India’s aspirations to become the regional hub for MRO services.”

The Boeing India-AIESL partnership is the latest development under the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub programme. The BIRDS hub is a local network of suppliers working to build a robust MRO ecosystem for defence and commercial aircraft, which aims to establish industry benchmarks in India for maintenance and repair, platform availability, customer satisfaction, and rapid turnaround time. An important aspect of the hub is training programs to increase skilled manpower by developing sub-tier suppliers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to build top-tier MRO capabilities in India.