Air India to build new MRO hangar at Delhi airport

Air India has broken ground on a new multi-facility maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hangar at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The facility will expand the airline's maintenance capabilities at its largest hub, improve operational efficiency and reduce its reliance on external maintenance providers.

Spread across nine acres, the facility will be able to accommodate one widebody and one narrowbody aircraft at the same time. It will also bring key engineering and maintenance activities under one roof, allowing Air India to manage these operations more directly.

The new MRO facility will help Air India expand its in-house maintenance capabilities, improve fleet reliability and support the growth of India's aviation industry. More efficient maintenance operations could also improve operational performance and help deliver a more reliable travel experience for passengers.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, along with senior executives from Air India and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), including P Balaji, Group Head - Governance, Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Affairs, Air India; Basil Kwauk, Chief Operations Officer, Air India; Jeremy Yew, Senior Vice President - Engineering & Maintenance, Air India; Manomay Rai, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, DIAL; Vijay K Sharma, Vice President & Head - Aviation Services Business, DIAL; and Deepika Sharma, AGM - Aero Related, Commercial Aero, DIAL, among others.

The facility is expected to improve aircraft availability by bringing inspections, cabin maintenance and defect repairs under one roof. Integrated engineering offices and an on-site spare parts warehouse will help streamline workflows and reduce logistics costs.

A dedicated cabin shop will enable faster repairs to aircraft interiors, while direct access to technical teams and spare parts will help speed up the return to service of aircraft grounded due to technical issues.

Designed for future expansion, the hangar will feature a clear height of 25 metres and large column-free spaces to accommodate next-generation aircraft. The project will also incorporate advanced fire protection systems and follow Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) green building norms for energy and water conservation, in line with Air India's environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments.