Lufthansa Technik, a leading aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul major, is also planning to set up a regional component pool in India to support the existing customers.
The Rs 3.6-crore (Rs 36-million) payable by Kingfisher in the court would cover the dues for three months -- July, August and September.
'If there is a big enough order, then we would bring the assembly line for the M88 engine and other critical equipment to India.'
Depending on the fleet size and its age, airlines buy 30-50 per cent of the components that they need, and take the rest on lease. Expenditure on spares and components is a considerable part of engineering and maintenance, which account for over 9-10 per cent of the total operating expense of an airline. For instance, Air India, which has a large and ageing fleet, has to provide $35 million-$40 million for spare parts during any time of the year.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's plans to make India a maintenance, repair and overhaul hub for aircraft in Asia are set to crash. China, once again, has left India way behind. While over 300 MRO companies are in operation in China, only three have set up shops in India - Max Aerospace, Airworks and Indamer.
