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Telangana government plans aviation varsity: KT Rama Rao
Safron, a French aviation, defence and space major, announced setting of its engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad at an investment of $150 million (about ₹1,185 crore).
The Telangana government is planning to set up an aviation university in the state in collaboration with private players, state industries and information technology minister KT Rama Rao announced on Thursday.
He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Safran Aircraft Engines and Safran Electrical and Power factories at GMR Industrial Park at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Safron, a French aviation, defence and space major, announced setting of its engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad at an investment of $150 million (about ₹1,185 crore).
It will be Safran’s largest MRO globally and also the largest in India. It will be about 35,000 sq metre. The project holds national significance as it is the first MRO being established by a global company in India.
Stating that Telangana is fast emerging as a leading aerospace destination in the country, KTR, as the minister is popularly called, said Hyderabad was transforming into the best aerospace valley. Discussions were on to set up the aviation university in partnership with the industry, he said.
He said Hyderabad International Airport’s terminal expansion is expected to be completed by December. He reminded that the Union civil aviation ministry had promised to ensure more direct flights to France and the US, so people can skip Delhi and come to Hyderabad.
Describing the decision of Safran to set up its MRO facility in Hyderabad as a major achievement for Telangana, the minister said the French company had considered at least 10 locations for the MRO before finalising Hyderabad due to the proactive support of the Telangana government and presence of an enabling ecosystem.
KTR reminded that the Telangana government had held 35 meetings with officials of Safran in Hyderabad, Delhi and Paris. “There have been more than 400 plus exchanges on mails and other communication channels to make the landing smooth for Safran. Our first dialogue started in 2018 and it was followed up by an MoU between Safran and the Telangana government,” he said.
He said Safran has three major projects in Hyderabad with a total investment of $ 200 million (about ₹1,580 crore). In March 2018, Safran set up its electrical and power unit with $ 8 million (about ₹63 crore) investment to produce wire harnesses for aircraft engines in a record nine months. Later, Safran announced its second project, Safran Aircraft Engines, with an investment of $ 36 million (about ₹285 crore) to manufacture components of LEAP turbofan engines, he said.
Safran chief executive officer Olivier Andries said through the creation of the largest MRO for commercial engines, the company was also paving the way to expand its MRO activities in India to military engines. “With three new production facilities and an IT centre, we will triple the number of employees in India over the next four years,” he said.
Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan and Aviation Director Praveen PA were also present.
