Crash, Capacity, and Course Correction Air India 171 and India’s MRO Wake-Up Call

The tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171 has cast a harsh spotlight on an enduring vulnerability in Indian aviation: the absence of adequate domestic Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) infrastructure.

While investigators work to determine the precise cause of the crash, public discourse has veered toward Air India’s overseas maintenance arrangements—particularly with Turkish Technic. But the issue runs deeper than one partnership or one crash.

India, the world’s third-largest air passenger market, is on the cusp of a generational expansion in aviation. Yet it continues to send the majority of its wide-body aircraft abroad for heavy maintenance—often to politically sensitive destinations. The crash of AI171, while tragic, may serve as a much-needed wake-up call.

Turkish Technic: An Overstated Link?

Much speculation has emerged around Turkish Technic’s role in maintaining Air India’s fleet. However, sources familiar with the matter clarified that the Istanbul-based MRO only handles base maintenance for the airline’s Boeing 777 aircraft. A Turkish Technic post on X dated April 9 this year confirms this narrow scope.

If AI171 was not a 777, the link to Turkish Technic may be tenuous at best. “The 777s have continued operations without issues,” a source noted. Nevertheless, optics matter—and the perception of outsourcing critical safety operations in the wake of a fatal crash has ignited debate.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson addressed this tension delicately, acknowledging both practical realities and shifting political winds. “It does take a while to adjust when circumstances change, but we are obviously sensitive to national sentiment and perhaps national wishes,” he told PTI recently. “Regardless of the country, we take cognisance of what people like us to do and expect us to do.”

Indeed, in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor and heightened tensions with Turkey, Air India is now scaling back its reliance on Turkish Technic. The airline is redistributing its MRO workload to facilities in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the U.S., and potentially back home—eventually.

Building for Resilience

That “eventually” is now beginning to materialise. Last September, Air India broke ground on a new 35-acre MRO facility at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in partnership with Singapore’s SIA Engineering Company. The centrepiece of the airline’s self-reliance plan, the facility will eventually provide heavy maintenance capabilities for its wide-body and narrow-body fleet.

“This is not only a milestone for Indian aviation but also for Karnataka,” said Gunjan Krishna, the state’s Director of Industries & Commerce, calling it a foundational move to position Bengaluru as a global aviation hub.

Air India currently operates a fleet of 191 aircraft, including 64 wide-body jets. With 470 new aircraft on order, including long-haul models, the airline simply cannot afford to continue depending on overseas MROs—not just because of cost, but because of control.

Why India Lags

Despite policy pushes and market potential, over 90 per cent of India’s heavy MRO work is still done abroad. This costs Indian carriers an estimated 12 per cent to 15 per cent of their revenues—second only to fuel.

The country does have domestic MRO players—Air India Engineering Services (AIESL), Air Works India, GMR Aero Technic, and others—with certifications from the DGCA, EASA, and FAA. Yet, fleets are largely leased, and lessors often prefer international MROs in Turkiye, Singapore, Malaysia, and Europe due to legacy perceptions and logistical ease.

Pulak Sen, Secretary-General of the MRO Association of India, asks the obvious question: “If foreign airlines recognise Indian MROs, why shouldn’t Indian carriers do the same?”

The Policy Pivot

To reverse this outflow, the government has undertaken a series of reforms. Under the MRO Policy 2021, India has cut GST on MRO services from 18 per cent to 5 per cent, exempted customs duties on tools, extended re-import deadlines, and treated sub-contracted foreign OEM work as exports. The goal? To retain 90 per cent of aircraft maintenance in India by 2040.

The 2024-2025 budget had gone further, applying a uniform 5 per cent IGST to all MRO imports and extending timelines for goods sent abroad for repairs. Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjrapu Rammohan Naidu, recently said the Indian MRO market is projected to grow from US$2 billion to US$4 billion by 2030.

Meanwhile, global players are taking notice. Safran has set up an MRO for LEAP engines in Hyderabad. Airbus and HAL are collaborating on a major A320 maintenance hub in Nashik.

A Market Poised for Takeoff

India’s aviation fleet—currently at 750 aircraft—is expected to more than triple to 2,500 plus by 2042. IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India alone have placed orders for over 1,100 aircraft. Each one of them will need regular maintenance.

As aircraft movements surged 7.5 per cent year-on-year between April and August 2024, and passenger traffic grows at 15 per cent annually, the demand for dependable, in-country MRO is becoming urgent.

Beyond Blame: A Moment of Reckoning

Blaming Turkish Technic for AI171 without confirmed evidence may be unfair—but the incident has re-ignited a necessary national conversation. It has reminded us that maintenance isn’t just a back-end task; it’s a front-line issue of national capacity and strategic autonomy.

India’s aviation ambitions cannot fly high on borrowed hangars. The shift away from foreign MROs, symbolised by Air India’s Bengaluru facility, marks a critical course correction. The real question now isn’t just what caused AI171 to crash—but whether India can ensure that the next aircraft is maintained, repaired, and overhauled without ever leaving home soil.