Ex-BPL chief may lead AI repair shop funding

Mumbai: The ministry of civil aviation is considering a plan to combine two aircraft maintenance facilities planned separately by Air India Ltd and Indian Airlines Ltd, the state-run carriers that are being merged into a single entity. Investments in the project may be led by Bangalore-based entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar and a yet-to-be-identified operations partner.
The maintenance, repair and overhaul or MRO project is expected to cost Rs700 crore.
Air India had earlier plan-ned an MRO unit in Nagpur with US aircraft maker Boeing & Co. at an investment of $100 million (under Rs400 crore), while Indian Airlines had agreed to set up such a facility either in Hyderabad or New Delhi with Jupiter Aviation & Logistics Ltd, a company controlled by Chandrasekhar.
A significant minority stake in the MRO venture will be with National Aviation Company of India Ltd, or Nacil, the company into which the carriers are being merged. Boeing and Airbus SAS will remain minority investors until an operations partner is identified.
28/09/07 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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Categories: Air India - International Sep 2007, Air India Domestic Sep 2007, Foreign Sep 2007, NACL Sep 2007, New Sep 2007