EASA approval for state-of-the-art facility at Cochin International Airport enhances indigenous maintenance capacity, promoting Atmanirbharta in aviation & aerospace maintenance
Delhi, 13th Sept 2022:
Air Works MRO has announced receiving the European Aviation Safety Agency’s [EASA] Part 145 Approval for its state-of-the-art twin-hangar MRO facility at the Cochin International Airport.With EASA approval, Air Works will be able to offer full MPD support for the Airbus 320 family (including A318/ A319/ A320/ A321) for Base maintenance [up to and including 120-month inspection for all 4 engine options viz. PW1100G, CFM 56, Leap-1A and IAE V2500], C-Checks, structural and corrosion inspections, as well as undertaking major repairs and modifications for the Airbus 320 aircraft family, in addition to End- of-lease-transitions, bridging checks and engine changes.
At the occasion, D Anand Bhaskar, Managing Director & CEO, Air Works Group said, “We are excited to enhance our EASA-certified capacity and capabilities which will expand the scale of our operations and support to regional aircraft operators and global lessors. EASAs 145 approval of our Kochi facility was a much-awaited and long-overdue milestone and is a step forward in accelerating indigenous maintenance, complementing the country’s ambition of becoming Atmanirbhar and an MRO hub. I take this occasion to acknowledge the relentless commitment of our Quality team who have been instrumental in securing this approval.”
The location of the Kochi MRO facility [at the Cochin Int’l Airport] is strategic, given that Kochi has been a hub for leading carriers from the Middle East. The EASA 145 approval comes at a time when Air Works recently expanded its operations to Dubai in an endeavor to enhance access to its cost-effective and industry- leading workmanship to both international and domestic carriers, reinforcing its position of being India’s most loved MRO. The Kochi facility – commissioned in March 2021 during the pandemic, is already certified by the DGCA. It is also a DGCA-certified facility for Air Works’ Business Aviation (General Aviation) customers for a variety for aircraft.
Commenting on the development,Mangesh Karyakarte, Chief Sales Officer – Commercial & Defense MRO, Air Works Group said, “With EASA Part 145 approval, we are now uniquely poised to offer flexible maintenance support to our customers from two independent facilities providing end-to-end Engineering & maintenance services. The approval enables us offer and undertake a comprehensive series of maintenance checks and repairs, ranging from simple to complex ones on A320 aircraft that dominate the narrow body market in India, including the various airworthiness directives (AD) & Supplemental Type Certifications (STC) from time to time.”
He further added, “Over time, I see Kochi becoming a preferred maintenance facility for both domestic as well as incoming carriers from the SAARC, South-East Asia, Middle East and North Africa.”
The twin-hangar MRO facility at Kochi, spread over 50,000 sqm, has been thoughtfully designed and is a completely integrated, independent setup, housing key workshops equipped to undertake structures, interiors, and composites repairs to support timely aircraft maintenance & turnaround. Kochi complements Air Works’ primary facility at Hosur [Tamil Nadu], which incidentally, is India’s first EASA-certified Commercial MRO facility [2009]. In addition to the Airbus320 family, Hosur also offers full MPD support for ATR 42-400/500/72-212A and Boeing 737-600/700/800 and 900.
