To become a key player in India’s growing civil aviation market, global aerospace major Safran will be making significant investments in engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities.

Speaking to businessline, Safran India’s Chief Executive and Country Heads J.S. Gavankar cited that India’s civil aviation holds potential to emerge as a global aerospace manufacturing and MRO hub.

“Safran India plans to significantly expand its investments to align with the growing civil aviation market and to support the needs of military customers,” he said.

Notably, the global aerospace major is looking at major investments in India in next couple of years panning civil and defence MRO, manufacturing, joint ventures and new developmental programs.

“The company aims to further strengthen its manufacturing and R&D capabilities by establishing more state-of-the-art facilities, particularly for design engineering, high-precision and advanced propulsion system components, and system MROs,” he said.

Gavankar told businessline that Safran India is committed to supporting the “Make in India” initiative by increasing local sourcing, fostering indigenous production, and collaborating with Indian partners.

Besides, the global aerospace major plans to enhance its engineering centres and electronics manufacturing centre in Bengaluru to focus on innovative solutions for the civil and military sector, he said.

Till now, it has made substantial investments in India, with over 2,200 employees and multiple facilities focused on manufacturing, R&D, and engineering services.

In 2025, Safran will operationalise its helicopter engine MRO facility at Goa and ‘LEAP’ engine MRO in Hyderabad, further enhancing its support for civil aviation operators.

Furthermore, the global aerospace major plans to establish more state-of-the-art facilities for design engineering, high-precision components, and system MROs.

According to Gavankar, Safran plans to support Indian civil air operations through a robust Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility to meet the growing needs of the aviation sector.

“The company is establishing a state-of-the-art MRO facility in Hyderabad, focused on servicing ‘LEAP’ engines, which power the majority of new-generation aircraft in India. This facility will be the largest LEAP engine MRO for SAFRAN globally, capable of handling a high volume of engine overhauls annually,” he said.

“The MRO facility will significantly reduce turnaround times for Indian airlines, enhancing fleet availability and operational efficiency. This facility will also be used for supporting ‘LEAP’ MRO for airlines in the region helping build India as a MRO hub slowly.”

On the sourcing front, Gavankar said that Safran has been procuring components from Indian suppliers for over two decades.

“We have very high-quality suppliers, some of them rated among the top five for the group. Aligned to the Indian government’s ask of “Make in India, SAFRAN has already started manufacturing many parts and systems in India for the Indian Armed Forces and also for exports,” Gavankar said.

“Our sourcing from India is a mix of Indian MSMEs, our own subsidiaries, and joint ventures. We have the target to soon double the sourcing volume in the coming 2-3 years.“

In addition, he said that Safran’s local team presence in India provides round-the-clock assistance to airlines, ensuring quick technical intervention and minimising aircraft on ground (AOG) situations.