Modi inaugurates Safran’s Rs. 1,300-crore aircraft engine MRO facility in Hyderabad, calls it a major step toward making India a global aviation hub
New Delhi, November 26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 26 inaugurated Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI), a large aircraft engine Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at Hyderabad’s GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park, describing it as a milestone in India’s drive to become a global aviation services hub. Modi inaugurated the facility through video link.
Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister said the launch of Safran’s new centre marked “a new flight” for India’s aviation sector and would help establish the country as a global MRO hub. The project, he said, would also open up new high-tech employment opportunities for young Indians.
Modi recalled his meeting with the Safran leadership on November 24, noting their growing confidence in India as an investment destination. He expressed hope that the French aerospace major would continue to expand its footprint in the country.
India’s aviation market expanding rapidly
Highlighting the sector’s rapid growth, Modi said India is now among the world’s fastest-growing domestic aviation markets and ranks as the third-largest globally. Rising aspirations and increased travel demand, he said, have prompted Indian carriers to place orders for more than 1,500 new aircraft.
With this expansion, the need for domestic MRO capacity has become urgent. Modi pointed out that almost 85 percent of India’s MRO work has until now been carried out abroad, resulting in higher costs and longer aircraft downtime. Establishing world-class facilities within India, he said, is essential for a market of India’s scale.
“For the first time, a global OEM is setting up deep-level servicing capabilities in India,” he said, adding that Safran’s investment would strengthen the country’s MRO ecosystem and bring global training and knowledge transfer to local talent.
Boost for jobs and skill development
The Prime Minister said the SAESI facility would generate significant high-skilled employment, particularly for youth in South India. Beyond aviation, he said, India is also working to build an MRO ecosystem for the shipping sector.
Modi urged Safran to explore opportunities in aircraft engine and component design in India, stressing that the country’s vast MSME network and young, skilled workforce could support advanced aerospace development. He encouraged the company to tap Indian talent for propulsion design and manufacturing.
‘We are dreaming big, doing bigger, and delivering best’
The Prime Minister used the occasion to underline India’s reform-driven approach to attracting global investment. He said major policy shifts in recent years – ranging from opening the economy further to strengthening fundamentals and improving ease of doing business – have sent a clear message: “India welcomes investments, India welcomes innovation.”
He highlighted several steps taken by the government, including allowing 100 percent FDI in most sectors via the automatic route; opening 74 percent FDI in defence via the automatic route; ushering in space-sector reforms; launching Production Linked Incentive schemes; reducing more than 40,000 business compliances over 11 years; decriminalising hundreds of business provisions; implementing the National Single Window System; and introducing GST, faceless tax assessment, new labour codes and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
These measures, he said, have made India a trusted partner and a rising global manufacturing hub. Investors, he added, are not viewed merely as financiers but as “co-creators” in India’s journey toward becoming a developed nation.
“Betting on India is the smartest business decision of this decade,” Modi said.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu were among those present at the event.
A major boost for Aatmanirbharta in aviation
The SAESI facility – Safran’s dedicated MRO centre for LEAP engines that power Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft – has been developed with an investment of around Rs. 1,300 crore. Spread over 45,000 square metres, it is one of the world’s largest engine MRO complexes and the first such deep-level operation by a global engine OEM in India.
The centre is designed to service up to 300 engines annually and will employ more than 1,000 highly skilled technicians and engineers when it reaches full capacity by 2035.
The facility marks a major step toward self-reliance in aviation. Domestic MRO capacity will help reduce foreign exchange outflow, improve turnaround time, generate high-value jobs and enhance supply-chain resilience.
The government’s policy framework – including GST reforms, the 2021 MRO Guidelines and the 2016 National Civil Aviation Policy – has played a key role in creating a more favourable environment for MRO providers.
