IBNS-CMEDIA: Tata Group-owned Air India, India’s leading global airline, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC) to explore a collaboration in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) which will contribute to the development of India as a global aviation MRO hub.
The MoU was signed in Mumbai on 3 July 2026 by Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, and SIAEC Chief Executive Officer, Chin Yau Seng.
This follows Air India’s earlier collaborations with SIAEC to strengthen maintenance and component support for its growing fleet and network expansion:
(a) Signing of a 12-year Inventory Technical Management (ITM) agreement with SIAEC for extensive component support coverage for Air India’s current fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft on 21 February 2024;
(b) Appointment of SIAEC as Air India’s Base Maintenance strategic partner for the development of the airline’s Base Maintenance facilities located in Bangalore on 11 May 2024.
The latest MOU aims to deepen the partnership between both parties by tapping on SIAEC’s MRO and technical expertise to bolster Air India’s established airline operations network by jointly developing a world-class MRO ecosystem in India. This collaboration could include the potential formation of an MRO Joint Venture in India, serving the increasing needs of the Indian and regional aviation markets.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “India’s rapid aviation growth is driving the need for a stronger, more self-reliant MRO ecosystem within the country. As fleet sizes expand and operations scale up, developing local maintenance capacity will be important to support efficiency, resilience and long-term growth. Partnerships such as this can play a constructive role in enabling that broader direction and developing India as a global aviation hub.”
Chin Yau Seng, Chief Executive Officer SIAEC, said: “India is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, and the continued development of its MRO capabilities will be an important step in strengthening its position within the global aerospace ecosystem.
Through this MOU, we look forward to exploring how SIAEC’s technical expertise can support the progressive build-up of capabilities and capacity in India, alongside our ongoing partnership with Air India.”
The potential collaboration, which is legally non-binding, is likely to be progressively firmed up with material developments in future.
