Indian MROs Long Wait For Good Times

The Indian MRO industry has been waiting for ‘achchey din’ for a long time. Given the fact that the country is inching towards the world’s third largest aviation market in a couple of years, the MRO sector has immense potential. That, however, will take a long time to fructify, writes C SANTHOSH, if the government does not take proactive steps.

India’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry has yet to report meaningful growth figures despite a domestic aviation industry, which has grown continuously over the past few years. The growth rate of aircraft for movements and passenger traffic in India, stood at 11.1 per cent and 15.3 per cent, respectively for the five year period 2014-19. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), by 2024, India is poised to emerge as the world’s third largest aviation market. There are more than 600 commercial aircraft in operation with Indian carriers and in the coming years, MRO work on these airplanes alone, has the potential to create a self-sustaining aviation MRO ecosystem in India. Yet, the Indian MRO firms continue to remain in limbo.

Potential aplenty

Admittedly, India has many advantages that can be leveraged to create a successful MROecosystem, such as low labour costs and a large young and English-speaking workforce. India’s MRO market continues to hover around the ₹5,600-6,000 crore (US$ 800-850 million) mark but needs to break through the ₹7,000 crore (US$1.0 billion) barrier in the coming few years.

“Global MROs view India with a keen interest seeking a valuable gateway between the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. International bodies peg the MRO market growth in India at 7.7 per cent annually over the next decade,” Pulak Sen Founder Secretary General, MRO Association of India, Head — Aerospace & Defence, tells Cruising Heights.

Stuck in a rut