State-owned AIESL is strategically expanding its Nagpur facility and seeking international certifications to capture a larger share of the global aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) market.
Key Points
- AIESL aims to expand its Nagpur facility to attract more international airline clients.
- The company is seeking EASA approval for Airbus aircraft base maintenance at its Nagpur facility.
- AIESL successfully revived an Air India Boeing 777 after it was grounded for six years.
- The Nagpur facility has completed over 240 checks on wide-body Boeing 777, Boeing 737, and Airbus A320 aircraft.
- AIESL is exploring passenger to freighter (P2F) conversion capabilities for Boeing 777 planes.
Bullish on the business opportunities, state-owned AIESL is keen to serve more international airlines as well as expand the capabilities at its facility in Nagpur.
Also, the work has been initiated to seek approval from European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to carry out base maintenance for Airbus aircraft at the facility.
Revival Of Grounded Boeing 777
Last month, an Air India Boeing 777-Â300ER aircraft returned to services after being on the ground for over six years. And the engineering personnel at the facility played a key role in the revival of the wide-body plane.
AIESL, once part of Air India pre-privatisation and now under the government ownership, is a major MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) services provider.
An AIESL official said the company there has generally been positive customer feedback for aircraft coming out of its Nagpur facility.
“This is our premium facility. We are trying to have more international business here,” the official told PTI.
Expanding Capabilities And Services
So far, the Nagpur facility has carried out more than 240 checks on wide-body Boeing 777 planes as well as narrow-body Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family aircraft.
Apart from more business, AIESL is exploring the possibility of having the capability of P2F (passenger to freighter) conversion for Boeing 777 planes at the facility, the official said.
Key Achievements At Nagpur Facility
In recent times, a key achievement for the facility is the revival of VT-ALL which saw the installation of more than 3,000 new key components and completion of over 4,000 maintenance tasks.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which was grounded in February 2020 due to multiple unserviceable systems and aging components, entered the Nagpur facility in May 2025 for the intensive, nose-to-tail restoration programme, according to Air India.
“Each part replacement, system restoration, and structural repair underwent stringent testing, documentation, and regulatory oversight by DGCA, with technical guidance from Boeing. Skilled engineering teams worked nearly round the clock to bring the aircraft back to life,” Air India said in a release on March 17.
On the learnings from retrofitting of VT-ALL, the AIESL official said be it in terms of aircraft inspection, material and testing, it was ensured that processes were strictly complied with.
The Nagpur facility has two wide-body hangars as well as engine run up bay, aircraft wash provision and large engine test cell, among others. The jet engine shop construction work at the facility is stuck due to various reasons.
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