AAR and India’s Indamer Aviation have set up a joint venture for the development of a new airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Nagpur, India.

The new facility, already under construction, will initially be comprised of six narrow-body bays, including one for paint. Additional phases are planned for a total of 16 bays, as well as component repair shops.

AAR says the MRO will serve India’s fast-growing commercial aviation market and is scheduled to open later this year with FAA, EASA and DGCA certifications. Fully aligned with the ‘Make In India’ initiative, the facility will employ Indian nationals, including some of Indamer’s existing workforce.

“We are excited to expand AAR’s MRO expertise outside of the Americas in partnership with Indamer, which has the local market and cultural knowledge needed for success,” said John Holmes, president and COO, AAR. “We are looking forward to bringing our MRO experience to central India to help serve the country’s fast-growing airlines.”

Rajeev Gupta, CEO at Indamer, shared his vision for the partnership with AAR: “When we started planning for a new MRO in India, we knew we wanted to leverage the experience of a leading, independent MRO that had been successful in more mature aviation markets. AAR is the ideal partner for us and brings the knowledge and processes needed to help establish in-country capability and jobs in aircraft heavy maintenance.”

Indamer is an authorised service centre for Bombardier and Embraer fleets. It maintains a total of 90 aircraft at 15 locations across India.