Nagpur: Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said Nagpur has the potential to emerge as one of India’s leading Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hubs, as the Centre accelerates efforts to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign aircraft servicing facilities.Naidu said the Narendra Modi govt was focusing on creating a self-reliant aviation maintenance ecosystem in India, with Nagpur positioned at the centre of that strategy.“Nagpur is best suited to become an MRO hub because of its strategic location, favourable weather conditions and excellent connectivity,” Naidu said. “Today, Indian airlines still depend on foreign countries for engine components, spare parts and major repairs. This leads to loss of foreign exchange and increased operational costs that eventually affect passengers,” he added.The minister said Nagpur already possesses a strong aviation maintenance base through Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), and the AAR Indamer facility in Mihan.AIESL’s large-scale MRO facility, developed in partnership with Boeing, services both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft and caters to domestic as well as international carriers. The AAR Indamer complex, spread across nearly 30 acres in Mihan, specialises in Airbus and ATR aircraft maintenance, retrofitting and painting operations, as per the Mihan officials.Naidu said the proposed second runway at Nagpur airport would significantly strengthen the city’s aviation infrastructure and improve its ability to attract global MRO business from Southeast Asia and West Asia.Union minister Nitin Gadkari also backed the expansion of Nagpur’s aviation repair ecosystem, describing the city as an “ideal destination for aircraft maintenance and repairs.” He credited former Union minister Praful Patel for helping establish the MRO ecosystem in Nagpur despite political and administrative opposition at the time.“Many foreign companies already bring their aircraft here for repairs,” Gadkari said, adding that the airport’s expansion would support cargo operations, aviation-linked industries and aircraft servicing networks across Asia.
