Safran Opens Hyderabad Leap MRO Facility

HYDERABAD, India—Safran inaugurated its largest global Leap engine MRO facility here Nov. 26, marking a new chapter for India’s chronically underserved engine segment.

For decades, India’s airlines have relied almost entirely on overseas MROs for engine work. More than 80% of civil aircraft engines are shipped to facilities in the Middle East, Southeast Asia or Europe for overhaul. This dependence has cost airlines both time and billions in foreign exchange, but the landscape is changing rapidly.

Safran’s new MRO facility, operated under Safran Aircraft Engines Services India, is designed to service the Leap-1A and Leap-1B fleet, the rapidly expanding narrowbody workhorse of India’s aviation boom. The facility will eventually be capable of maintaining up to 300 Leap engines per year, making it one of the world’s highest-capacity Leap overhaul sites.

During the facility’s opening ceremony, India’s Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the country’s MRO market is projected to reach $4 billion by 2031, driven by massive fleet expansion and new policy incentives. He added that bringing engine MRO back into the country could help India save over $15 billion in foreign exchange in the coming years.

Safran CEO Olivier Andriès said Safran engines power nearly 80% of India’s narrowbody fleet, with more than 500 aircraft currently powered by CFM engines and over 2,000 Leap engines on order. “This MRO center is built to support that momentum,” he added.

The 45,000-m² (480,000-ft.²) Leap MRO facility is backed by a €200 million ($232 million) investment and is scheduled to become operational in 2026. It will begin with a workforce of around 250 and ramp up to more than 1,100 specialists at full capacity. 

Adjacent to the new Leap engine MRO facility, Safran has built a 5,000-m² MRO facility dedicated to the M88 engine that powers the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft. It is the first Safran military engine maintenance site to be built outside France. It will provide MRO services for more than 600 engine modules a year and will employ up to 150 people at full capacity. 

Prioritizing engines on aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force, it will also perform MRO for other M88 export customers. India is a long-standing customer for Safran’s military engines. The country recently ordered 26 Rafale M naval variants and already operates 36 Rafale and 47 Mirage 2000 fighters.

To build a sustained talent pipeline, Safran will also establish an on-site training academy capable of preparing over 100 technicians and engineers every year, strengthening domestic expertise and raising the technical benchmark for engine maintenance in Hyderabad and the surrounding region.

With these facilities, Safran expects to triple its annual revenue in the country to more than €3 billion by 2030.