Air India Engineering Services (AIESL) has received the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part-145 certification for its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) unit at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
This is the first such facility in South India and only the second in India to achieve this status, enabling maintenance of Europe-registered aircraft and those leased under European rules. The approval follows successful servicing of a UK Defence F-35 fighter jet, marking a milestone for India’s MRO industry.
AIESL will now build a dual-unit hangar adjacent to the existing facility, capable of housing either one wide-body or two narrow-body aircraft. Environment-friendly systems and expanded repair, overhaul and logistics zones will be part of the new hangar design. Operations are targeted within two years, pending board and tender approvals.
The current six-hectare MRO complex, commissioned in 2011, handles Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 variants and offers base and line maintenance, structural repairs and component overhauls.