Air India has started construction of a 9-acre maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hangar at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, with capacity to service one widebody and one narrowbody aircraft at the same time. The facility is intended to strengthen the airline’s in-house engineering capability, reduce dependence on external service providers and improve aircraft availability.
The new hangar will include engineering offices, a spare-parts warehouse and a separate shop for cabin repairs, according to the report by Jagran – New Delhi. The integrated layout is expected to improve coordination between different stages of maintenance and support quicker access to parts and technical teams.
Air India has said the facility will help reduce the time aircraft remain on the ground and improve operational efficiency. The airline, however, has not disclosed the project cost, the expected completion date or the specific reduction in ground time that it expects the hangar to deliver.
A foundation stone ceremony for the hangar was held at the airport, with Air India chief executive officer Tewolde Gebremariam and officials from the airline and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) in attendance. The construction is part of Air India’s effort to expand its engineering capacity as the number of aircraft in service and the requirement for scheduled maintenance continue to grow.
Aircraft require regular inspections, repairs and scheduled maintenance to meet aviation safety and regulatory requirements. These activities include routine checks, replacement or repair of parts and more extensive maintenance at prescribed intervals. MRO facilities therefore form an important part of an airline’s operating infrastructure, even though they are less visible to passengers than terminals, runways or aircraft.
Delhi IGI Airport already has aircraft-maintenance facilities. Air India Engineering Services Limited, a government-owned company, operates maintenance hangars at the airport. Other companies also operate hangars for business jets and private aircraft. Air India’s new facility will add to this existing maintenance ecosystem at one of the country’s busiest aviation hubs.
The expansion also comes as airlines increase their fleets and domestic air travel demand grows. Greater domestic MRO capacity can reduce the need to send aircraft abroad for some maintenance work, along with the associated logistics costs and time that aircraft spend out of service. The extent of that benefit will depend on the work the new hangar is certified and equipped to undertake.
The facility will not necessarily cover every category of aircraft maintenance. Engine and complex-component repairs require specialised technology, trained personnel and additional investment. The airline has not provided details of the hangar’s equipment, staffing, certification scope or the types of heavy maintenance that will be carried out there.
The next publicly stated milestones are the construction and eventual commissioning of the hangar. Air India has yet to announce a completion timeline, project cost or operational start date.
