France's Safran considers US$150m aircraft engine repair unit in India

Safran Group is considering a US$150m investment in a new aircraft engine maintenance, repair and overhaul unit in India to cater for its airline customers, according to the company. Safran and GE Aviation own a 50% stake each in CFM International, which manufactures engines for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 types of aircraft. Currently, around 220 Airbus and Boeing planes in India are fitted with CFM engines. Additionally, there are 485 planes on order from IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Vistara, which will be equipped with these engines and are expected to be delivered over the next 5 years. CFM International won a $20b order from IndiGo to supply engines for 280 Airbus A320neo in June. Plans to set up an MRO unit in India are being evaluated following the big order win. <br/>