Small business jet makers mull India entry with local tie-ups

Mumbai: With Indian business conglomerates and real estate companies increasingly buying more small luxury planes for private and business use, manufacturers of such planes are planning to offer broader range of after-sales services by tying up with domestic aircraft repair firms.
Following the footprints of manufacturers of big aircraft such as Airbus SAS of Toulouse and Boeing Co. of the US, small plane makers are offering complete repair services and planning to source components from India.
Leading business jet makers are Bombardier Inc., Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. and Cessna Aircraft Co. Airbus and Boeing also sell corporate jets in a smaller way.
During the Dubai Air Show this month, in a largest business jet fleet order in India to date, Brazilian plane maker Embraer SA and upcoming charter plane operator, India’s Invision Projects Pvt. Ltd have signed a contract for 20 Phenom type of executive jets. Apart from commercial passenger planes, Embraer also makes small jets.
Indian business houses also tend to opt for helicopters for their private use. Leading helicopter makers are Eurocopter SAS and Bell Helicopter Textron.
Bombardier has named Mumbai-based Air Works India Engineering Pvt. Ltd as the first Bombardier line maintenance facility on the Indian subcontinent for servicing Challenger and Global type of business ­aircraft.
01/12/07 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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Categories: Foreign Dec 2007, General Aviation Dec 2007, New Dec 2007