“MRO Association of India” Second General Meeting - July, 2011

From Left - Air Cmde Kashyap, Horizon, Ravi Menon, Airworks, Bharat Malkani, Max Aerospace, Pulak Sen, Indian Aviation

From Left - Col. Murty, Deccan, C. S. Tomar, Jet Airways, Sairam Patro, Avipro India, Mike Meyer, Indocopters, Murat Kalayci, Spares Support Solutions India

From Right - Haris Ansari, Jet Airways, Rohan Moorthy, Alterverse Inc., Murat Kalayci, Spares Support Solutions India

From Left -R.K. Patra, Stat Times, Nilesh Kumar, IFS, Col. Murty, Deccan, Malini Mallikarjun, BMR, Mike Meyer, Indocopters, Murat Kalayci, Spares Support Solutions India

“MRO Association of India” formed to assist India Inc. in becoming a major Aerospace MRO hub for Asia, Europe and Africa

Key Indian Aerospace firms join forces to provide further impetus to the country’s growing Aerospace MRO sector

From Left: Ravi Menon, Executive Director, AirWorks; Bharat Malkani, Managing Director, Max Aerospace; B.P. Baliga, former Vice President, Jet Airways / former Director, Engineering, Air India; Pulak Sen, Editor-in-Chief of Indian Aviation

Mumbai, 23rd June, 2011: Several of the country’s key Aerospace Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) firms such as AirWorks India, Max Aerospace, Horizon Aircraft Maintenance, United Helicharters, Reliance Airports and Kingfisher Airlines, as well as The Rotor Wing Society of India have begun the process of forming the - MRO Association of India - with the intention of assisting and guiding the evolution of the Indian aerospace market towards becoming a prime MRO destination for both domestic and international airline carriers and helicopter charter service providers.  The aim behind the association will be to function as a “Working Group” that will facilitate and support the government in streamlining the overall industry framework in order to provide an added boost in developing the sector.  With a stronger focus, both the national and state governments would benefit significantly, which would translate into higher revenue for the Indian economy and thereby enhance Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.

Elaborating on the formation of the association, Mr. Ravi Menon, Executive Director, AirWorks said, “At present, due to the current national and state regulations pertaining to aircraft maintenance and service, it is more viable for our Indian airline carriers and helicopter charter service providers to fly their concerned aircrafts to MRO destinations that are based either in other parts of Asia, the Middle East or as far away as Europe.  However, this results in a huge operational delay and fuel loss, as aircrafts flown for servicing, are times not able to carry any passenger loads.  The total outgoing expenditure by the Indian civil aerospace market each year amounts to $700 million.  That is a loss of revenue not only for the airline market but to the government as well. Therefore, what we aim to carry out with the association is to map out a clear growth path that would showcase how this revenue need not be lost to foreign competitors and in turn how India can transform itself into an attractive MRO destination”   

Adding to this, Mr. Bharat Malkani, Managing Director, Max Aerospace, said “Our aim for the association was to have likeminded members, who shared the same views and concerns as us and who wanted more to be done as far as Aerospace MRO work goes in India.  We do intend to welcome other firms related to the MRO sector, as well several associations and prominent figures, who may provide us with their expert views and guidance in order to facilitate our overall goal.”

The first meeting of the MRO Association of India was convened by Mr. Pulak Sen, Editor-in-Chief of Indian Aviation, who being one of its pioneering members, had felt the urgency of addressing the slow growth of the MRO sector.   In his opening remark, Mr. Sen said “The formation of such a body is paramount in order to provide MRO organizations, who strongly feel the need for change to occur, a platform to voice their concerns with the aerospace authorities in the country.  As we have seen, the desire for such change was articulated by both domestic and foreign aerospace companies at the recently held MRO India 2011, which was India’s first ever MRO exhibition and conference held in Mumbai.  Therefore, we must now endeavor to formulate the appropriate course of action in order to highlight the hurdles that currently exist, the feasibility of proposed corrective measures for the sector and the benefit that both the authorities and the Indian aerospace market may avail of.”

The next meeting of MRO Association of India is slated to be held in Mumbai on July 5th, 2011.

Over the past 16 years, India has seen more engineering and R&D investments in aerospace than the U.S. or Europe.  A recent report by the Aeronautical Society of India estimates the MRO market to grow from below U.S. $1 billion to about U.S. $ 2.6 billion by the year 2020. It is also estimated that the major segments of the MRO business, in terms of value, will be engines (30-35%), airframe (20-25%), components (20-25%), and line maintenance (20-25%).  Therefore, the opportunity for market players to establish MRO facilities within the country is highly lucrative.  In addition, established MRO facilities within the country may ensure greater savings for aerospace clients and in turn assist in further safeguarding the local and global environment.

Video Snapshots of panel discussion on "The potential and way forward for MRO's in Civil and Military Aviation in India."

Chaired by: Air Marshal S.S. Ramdas

Participants:

• Bharat Malkani, Chairman & Managing Director of Max AeroSpace & Aviation Ltd.
• Alan Fisher,  Director - Aerospace International Sales, ADS UK Group
• Vishok Mansingh,  Vice President – Engineering, Logistics & Systems, Kingfisher Airlines
• Ashok Saxena,  Director - UK Advanced Engineering Office, India 
• Group Captain M. K. Labroo, CEO, Monarch International & Representing The Rotary Wing Society of India 

NDTV Profit: Air India Turn Around Plan (*MRO India 2011 featured)

Several news channels had visited the MRO India 2011 show in March.  After the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director of Air India was asked several questions about the company's turnaround plan.  During his media bites, the MRO India 2011 backdrop can be seen in the background. Also, standing besides Mr. Jadhav is Mr. Hirak Sen, Publisher from Indian Aviation magazine, who were one of the two organizers for the show.  

Key News Highlight from MRO 2011

Indian Express - Corporate News (*Click on the image to enlarge)

Indian Express - Corporate News (*Click on the image to enlarge)

“Marketing Agency Agreement” signed between United Helicharters Pvt. Ltd. & Gulf Helicopters Co., Qatar

GULF HELICOPTERS COMPANY, the prime helicopter service provider in the State of Qatar is pleased to announce the appointment of UNITED HELICHARTERS PVT LTD., (UHPL) as authorised exclusive agents for marketing in India, Gulf Helicopters Company’s Training Services and state-of-the-art Full Flight Simulator for AW 139, which is to be certified by U.K. CAA to Level B by end of May 2011. 

United Helicharters Pvt Ltd, a company incorporated under the laws of India and having its registered office at Hanger No. C-2, Airport Authority of India, Civil Aerodrome, Juhu, Mumbai 400 0504, India, is an Indian aviation company with a Non-Scheduled Operators Permit issued by the Indian DGCA. The company has been in the service of providing offshore helicopter services to the Indian Oil & Gas sector since 2003.

On the other hand Gulf Helicopters Company, a company incorporated under the laws of Qatar and having its registered office at Al Areesh Street, Ras Abu Aboud Street, P.O. Box 811, Doha, State of Qatar, is an aviation company with many years of experience in the helicopter services industry with operations in many countries through its fleet of helicopters. The primary activity of the company is in the area of Offshore Helicopter Services in support of the Oil & Gas sector.

Gulf Helicopters Company offers training for Pilots on the following type of helicopters:

1.    AgustaWestland made AW 139.

2.    MD Helicopters made MD 902.

3.    Bell Helicopters made Bell 412 / Bell 212.

4.    Agusta Bell made AB 206.

Gulf Helicopters Company will also offer recurrent and continuing training for Aircraft Engineers. GHC is currently in the process of obtaining Part 147 Training Organization approval from EASA by June 2011.

Gulf Helicopters Company is also an MRO facility, which is currently in the process of enhancement for servicing the AW 139, MD 902, Bell 412 / 212 and Bell 206. A similar facility will also be set up in partnership with UHPL in India.

This appointment and venture reinforce the long standing relationship between Gulf Helicopters and United Helicharters Pvt Ltd.

Picture below the ‘Marketing Agency Agreement’ being signed by Mr. N K Balakrishnan the Chief Executive Officer of United Helicharters Pvt Ltd and by Mr. Tariq Bongso the Financial Controller on behalf of Mr. Mohamed Al Mohannadi the Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Helicopters Company at the recently held MRO India exhibition.

  

Snapshots of MRO India 2011

Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India greets delegates at MRO India 2011 prior to the inaugural ceremony 



Conference & Panel Discussion Series at MRO India 2011 (*Various topics were discussed and debated over the 3 days the show was hosted for)



Mr. Jadhav addresses the audience during the opening cermony of MRO India 2011

Light hearted moments!



Visitors at the MRO India 2011 exhibition



MRO India 2011 exhibition



Award Honorees pose together at the MRO India 2011 Awards Night



MRO India 2011 Awards Night! - A Grand Success

Date: 17^th March, 2011 (Thursday)

Venue: Ballroom, The Leela, Andheri (East)

Invited Guests: 140  

HONORARY AWARDS

I) Award Category: Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Mr. P. S. Menon and the Late Mr. B. G. Menon, Air Works 

II) Award Category: Outstanding Aerospace Personality Award

Winner:  Dr. C. G. Krishnadas Nair, Hon. President of SIATI & Managing Director, Cochin International Airport. 

III Award Category: Best Third Party MRO Organization in India

Winner: Air Works India 

IV) Award Category: Best Airline MRO in India

Winner: Air India. 

V) Award Category: Best Third Party Military MRO in India

Winner: Max Aerospace & Aviation Pvt. Ltd.  

VI) Award Category: Best Engine MRO in India

Winner:  Air India. 

VII) Award Category: Best Engine Training Centre in India

Winner: CFM International.

Air India extends full support towards MRO India

Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav pledges Air India’s support and permanent sponsorship

Mumbai, 21st March, 2011: MRO India 2011, the country’s first and exclusive aerospace show focused on the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) space, hosted its inaugural ceremony at the Bombay Exhibition Center.  In attendance were Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, Dr. C. G. Krishnadas Nair, President of SIATI & Managing Director of Cochin International Airport, Mr. Ravi Menon, Executive Director, Air Works, Mr. Pulak Sen, Joint Editor-in-Chief, Indian Aviation, Mr. Hirak Sen, Join Editor-in-Chief, Indian Aviation and Mr. R. K. Patra, Editor-in-Chief, Stat Times.  The ceremony was met with much fanfare and enthusiasm from the aviation delegates in attendance, who comprised of both international and domestic representatives. 

The opening ceremony speeches emphasized the need for stronger efforts to be made regarding the further development of India’s MRO space, in order to support and consolidated the country’s burgeoning aviation sector.  For the same, it was articulated that MRO India 2011 was an ideal platform that would allow the exchange of ideas and facilitate the right type of dialogue and action that would in turn provide further impetus towards developing the country’s MRO capabilities in the decades to come.  In relation, Mr. Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director of Air India pledged his total support for this unique endeavor and articulated that Air India would continue to be a key sponsor for all future shows.  


(Center) - Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India (From Left to Right) - Pulak Sen, Joint Editor, Indian Aviation, C. G. Krishnadas Nair, President SIATI & MD Cochin International Airport, Ravi Menon, Executive Director, Air Works, Hirak Sen, Joint Editor, Indian Aviation.



Mr. Jadhav visits an exhibition stall at MRO India 2011



Crisis In Japan Shakes Up Aircraft Supply Chain

Image source: http://wearpower.com/



Dirk De Waart, a director of management consultancy PRTM, points to the 4% fall in Boeing’s share price on the news of the earthquake, erasing $2 billion in its market capitalization.

 Noting that 35% of the 787 and 20% of the 777 are from Japan, De Waart says Boeing reduced financial risk at the cost of uncertainty in its supply chain. “Japan consistently ranks as one of the riskiest countries in the world to do business from a location perspective. The country has a history of earthquakes and natural disasters,” he adds.

“This latest disaster underscores the realization that just-in-time increases risk to a point where companies are becoming vulnerable.” Top management “is starting to understand that this kind of disaster is worth buffering inventories for.” De Waart says aerospace companies in the future may look to do second-sourcing deals to safeguard against uncertainty. “Fasteners, etc., can be dual-sourced. And it’s vital to ensure that both suppliers are using a variety of sub-suppliers.”



The leader of Bain & Co.’s global aerospace and defense practice, Mike Goldberg, says: “It’s pretty unrealistic to double-source large aircraft structures.” But, he adds, “in the component and sub-assembly level, companies should look at distributing work more” widely. “The trend in supply-chain management has been toward single-source supply for the low cost. This disaster will cause companies to revisit the trade­off between lowest cost and availability. It may make sense to double-source components to avoid a global supply chain putting all their eggs in one basket.”

While the earthquake, tsunami and threatened nuclear disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 power station also resulted in power shortages, Fuji, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi, far to the south, were unaffected. Fuji says it incurred minor damage. With the other two heavies, as they are nicknamed, it resumed operations three days after the catastrophe.

But the whole Japanese archipelago is seismically active, which leaves open the danger that one day an earthquake could hit Japan’s aerospace heartland in and around Nagoya. The risk should not be overstated, however. Japanese factories, even those making equipment of extraordinary precision, are designed to cope with earthquakes of powerful magnitudes.

Boeing’s Seattle facilities coped well with a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 2001, while its South Carolina plant is built to ride out hurricanes. On the other hand, that is a reminder that production is exposed to a seismic fault line in the U.S., fault lines in Japan and South Carolina’s weather.

Among the infrastructure damaged on March 11, Sendai Airport was flooded by the tsunami and covered in mud. The field was needed for relief flights, however, and 1,500 meters (4,900 ft.) of a runway had been cleared by March 17. Until all the mud is removed, the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau will not know whether the rest of the runway was badly damaged by the earthquake, says an official of the bureau’s safety and security division.

Japanese aerospace company Jamco has an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul firm at Sendai Airport and it also was damaged by the tsunami.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake had its epicenter 130 km off the coast of northeast Japan’s Oshika Peninsula near Sendai city. More than 15,000 people are believed to have died.

Source: Aviation Week Magazine