IndiGo selects Bangalore for major MRO expansion

This comes as the fast-growing Indian carrier seeks to significantly ramp up its in-house MRO operations.

The new facility at the Kempegowda International Airport will handle IndiGo’s Airbus A320 and A350-900 fleets. The carrier already has two MRO hangars, one in at Delhi International Airport and one at Bangalore, but it is starting from a “lowish base” in terms of moving towards being self-sufficient in MRO terms.

“What we do here, and I saw it when I joined, with the number of engine changes we do, the in house work we do and the pool of talent we have, it is providing a great opportunity for India and for us to start building it [maintenance capability],” IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told Arabian Aerospace on the sidelines of the carrier’s media briefing in Delhi.

The timeline for IndiGo to achieve advancing levels of in-house MRO capability is not yet specified but the Bangalore deal is a big step in that direction. “By 2030 we will have 600 aircraft, so it makes a lot of sense,” said Elbers.

“A few years ago, we did very little. Now, at the new Bangalore hangar which we opened two years back the amount of work we do is just phenomenal,” explained Elbers.

“What we have done over the last two years is enhancing today's capability. What we do going forward is developing new capabilities,” he said.

In addition to developing the physical infrastructure, IndiGo is recruiting specialists to help the local team develop its MRO operations as “we need to find a couple of people to help us to start building it,” said Elbers.

It recently announced the appointment of Ton Dortmans to support the technical entry into service of IndiGo’s A350 as well as supporting building up IndiGo’s overall MRO strategy C check capabilities. He is a 40-year veteran of KLM including the last 13 years as EVP for KLM Engineering C Maintenance.

“If you look to the aviation ecosystem in India, compared to where Indian aviation is going, a lot of that work on the MRO side was being done basically outside India,” said Elbers. “I think the opportunity in India itself, with the young, highly skilled and ambitious population, and limited facilities when it comes to MRO. The opportunity really is out there to start building it.”