Date:12/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/05/12/stories/2007051202000500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Indian signs pact for aircraft maintenance

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Indian on Thursday signed a tripartite term sheet for a joint venture maintenance, repair and overhauling (MRO). The other signatories are Airbus and the Bangalore-based Jupiter Aviation and Logistics, which is the exclusive strategic partner to EADS in India for MRO and lifecycle support of commercial aircraft.

As per the term sheet, the MRO venture will begin its activities in Delhi with two A320 hangars, said a release from Indian. A third hangar will be added in due course. The facility will cater to major maintenance of A320 fleet of Indian followed by check maintenance of ATR and other A320 aircraft in India. Phase II expansion will cater to wide body and other aircraft types. In the third year, the joint venture will have facilities to cater to over 200 aircraft of single aisle and wide body in India and other countries.

Vishwapati Trivedi, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian; Kiran Rao, Executive Vice-President, Marketing and Contracts, Airbus; and Ravi Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Jupiter Aviation and Logistics; were present.