The North News
New Delhi, November 26
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India’s aviation industry is “taking a new flight”, as he inaugurated Safran Aircraft Engine Services India’s new maintenance hub in Hyderabad. The facility, located at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, was inaugurated through video conferencing by the Prime Minister on Wednesday. Modi said the Safran centre would help position India as a global hub for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services and open new opportunities for young workers. “Safran’s new facility will help establish India as a global MRO hub,” he said, adding that the company’s continued investment reflects “confidence and hope regarding India.”
The Prime Minister noted that domestic aviation has grown at an “unprecedented pace”, making India one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. He said expanding demand for air travel has pushed Indian airlines to order more than 1,500 new aircraft. But he also pointed to India’s heavy reliance on foreign MRO services, with nearly 85% of such work being carried out overseas. This, he said, increases costs and keeps aircraft grounded for longer periods. The government, he added, is working to build India into one of the world’s major MRO hubs, with Safran becoming the first global manufacturer to set up deep-level servicing in the country.
Modi said Safran’s training and knowledge-transfer programmes would help develop a skilled aerospace workforce and generate jobs across South India. He added that India aims to expand beyond aviation MRO into a wider service ecosystem connected to shipping and other sectors.
The Prime Minister urged the company to explore aircraft engine and component design in India, saying the country’s vast network of MSMEs and young engineers could support such ambitions. He said India is promoting “Design in India” across sectors and wants companies to leverage its talent for propulsion design and manufacturing. Modi also highlighted economic reforms, including 100% automatic FDI in most sectors, reduced compliance burdens, decriminalised business laws, and the National Single Window System. These changes, he said, have helped position India as a trusted global partner.
“We are dreaming big, doing bigger and delivering best,” the Prime Minister said.
India, he added, is now seen as a rising manufacturing hub with a stable government, young talent pool and large domestic market. “Betting on India is the smartest business decision of this decade,” he said. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Union Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu were among the leaders present at the inauguration.
