April 26, 2007: In an effort to help the aviation sector in the country which is on the growth path, the Germany based MRO service provider Lufthansa Technik has decided to open a centre in India.

According to industry reports, the new facility will incur initial cost of upto Rs 100 crore. To be located at Shamshabad in the southern India state of Andhra Pradesh, near to the upcoming Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad international airport, the facility will be ready by end of year 2008. According to sources, the upcoming facility will provide base maintenance services for airbus A320 family and Boeing aircraft.

Lufthansa Technik will team up with GMR group, the concessionaire of Hyderabad and Delhi airports, said a report. As per information, Lufthansa Technik will own 75 per cent stakes in the joint venture. The Rs 100 crore project will see two-bay hangars and workshops coming up. The construction of the 20,000 sq mt facility will begin by June 2007, the report added.

Lufthansa Technik tips the joint venture initiative as the foundation for a long lasting partnership and the basis for a technical cooperation for the benefit of the German company’s existing and future airline partners in India.

As per statistics the Indian aviation segment has placed orders for over 400 aircraft. This makes India a growing market in this segment. Lufthansa Technik’s initiative is seen as complement the existing MRO support to new and existing fleets and ensure an optimal MRO support within the country, a report pointed out.