Boeing and India’s GMR Aero Technic have partnered to set up a 737 freighter conversion line at the MRO company’s facility in Hyderabad, India.
This will be India’s first Boeing freighter conversion line as the country works to boost its commercial aviation industry.
“We are excited about setting up the first Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) line in India and look forward to sharing more details as things evolve and we firm up our discussions with customers,” Boeing told Aviation Daily on March 10.
“India’s expected cargo growth makes this an opportune time [to set up the conversion line] as well,” said Salil Gupte, Boeing India’s president, in a social media post.
Regarding feedstock, the Aviation Week Network’s Fleet Discovery database shows there are 41 737-800 family aircraft operating in India. More than half are operated by Air India Express, which has 23 of them in its fleet.
“With the rise in the Indian aviation industry, MRO services in India have been one of the fastest-growing markets globally. The collaboration with Boeing reaffirms our capability to provide world-class MRO services and further contribute to the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” said Ashok Gopinath, CEO of GMR Aero Technic.
No timeline for when the line would become was provided by either company.
GMR Aero Technic has one widebody hangar, capable of holding four narrowbody aircraft, and one narrowbody hangar, which can hold two narrowbody aircraft. The company already has a base maintenance capability for 737NG and MAX family aircraft, Airbus A320ceo and A320neo family aircraft, plus De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 and ATR 42/72 turboprops.
In February, India’s flag carrier Air India announced that it is planning to acquire 470 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including 190 737 MAX family aircraft which could potentially replace aging 737-800s in the Air India Express fleet.
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