Modi's Aerospace Push: India's First Orbital Rocket and Safran MRO Reveal

The SAESI will be inaugurated by PM Modi on November 26.

The facility is Safran’s dedicated Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility for LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines, which power the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

It is a “huge step towards the goal of Aatmanirbharta in the aviation sector,” the PMO said.

“The facility is not only one of the largest global aircraft engine MRO facilities but also the first time a global engine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) has set up an MRO operation in India,” it added.

The state-of-the-art facility, developed with an initial investment of around Rs 1,300 crore, is spread across 45,000 sqm within the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park-SEZ.

Designed to service up to 300 LEAP engines annually, the SAESI facility will employ over 1,000 highly skilled Indian technicians and engineers upon achieving full operational capacity by 2035, the PMO said.

The facility will feature advanced process equipment to deliver world-class engine maintenance and repair services.

“Developing indigenous capabilities in MRO will reduce foreign exchange outflows, create high-value employment, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and position India as a global aviation hub,” the PMO said.

The government of India is actively working to build a robust MRO ecosystem to support the sector’s rapid growth.

Key policy initiatives of the government -- including GST reforms in 2024, MRO Guidelines 2021, and the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 -- have simplified operations for MRO providers by rationalising tax structures and reducing royalty burdens.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is also expected to unveil Skyroot’s first orbital rocket -- Vikram-I -- and inaugurate Skyroot’s Infinity Campus on November 27 at 11 AM via video conferencing.

“Vikram-I comes with the capability to launch satellites to orbit,” the PMO said.

“Infinity Campus will be a state-of-the-art facility with around 200,000 square feet of workspace for designing, developing, integrating, and testing multiple launch vehicles. It also comes with a capacity to build one orbital rocket every month,” it added.

Skyroot, founded by Pawan Chandana and Bharath Dhaka, both alumni of Indian Institutes of Technology and former scientists of ISRO turned entrepreneurs, in November 2022, launched its sub-orbital rocket Vikram-S.

“The rapid rise of private space enterprises is a testament to the success of the transformative reforms carried out by the government in the last few years, reinforcing India’s leadership as a confident and capable global space power,” the PMO said.

- IANS