Kochi: With aircraft servicing poised for a significant growth in the years ahead, Cochin International Aviation Services Limited (CIASL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cochin International Airport Limited (Cial), is vying to tap the business opportunities in the industry.
CIASL is expanding its focus on aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services by improving the infrastructure and the plans include setting up a new MRO hangar at the facility.
There has been a steady increase in the number of aircraft seeking MRO services at CIASL over the last three years. CIASL marked a major milestone by carrying out the maintenance and repair of the first foreign aircraft at the facility a week ago. Four more aircraft are undergoing servicing at the facility.
In FY 2021-22, CIASL provided MRO services for 56 aircraft while in 2022-23, it did maintenance and repair for 98 aircraft. In FY2023-24, so far, 20 aircraft, including five foreign aircraft of Saudi Arabian airline Flynas, flew to CIASL for MRO. The plan is to eventually transform Kochi as an MRO hub in South India, not just for domestic airlines but also for international airlines.
“Indian aviation sector is growing fast with a year-on-year growth of around 11%. Currently, around 850 aircraft are operating in India and 1,200 more are expected to join the fleet in the next five years, which means there will be a huge potential for MRO business. Cial aims for marking its identity and share in the business. The state government has decided to include aircraft maintenance too as a focus area in the industrial policy. The sector also opens up a lot of job opportunities,” said Cial MD S Suhas.
The services at CIASL are handled by aviation service provider Air Works. CIASL offers both base and line maintenance for airlines. Base maintenance includes heavy maintenance checks on aircraft taken out of service, while line maintenance is maintenance carried out before each and every flight to ensure that the aircraft is fit for flight.
04/06/2023 Anantha Narayanan K/Times of India
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