Indian Stakeholders Push For Civil And Defense MRO Convergence

One of the most debated issues for India’s MRO sector is the convergence of the civil and military sides of the aftermarket. The two operate independently under different regulatory authorities, making it a challenge to merge their capabilities. Stakeholders want to fix that by establishing a uniform regulatory body for both.

A senior defense expert tells Inside MRO that three strategic hurdles are delaying a consensus: lack of coordination between India’s defense and civil aviation ministries, the need to involve the Civil Aviation Ministry when inducting military assets and the differences between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) regulations and military aviation quality assurance and certification standards.

Experts agree that India has strong defense MRO capabilities, but they are largely inaccessible to the civil sector due to regulations and restrictions. This has resulted in duplicated infrastructure, labor and expertise. At the same time, commercial aircraft are routinely flown abroad for such services as painting and heavy checks, exposing a clear gap in domestic civil MRO capacity. This mismatch has laid the foundation for the idea of converging the two sides of the MRO sector.

Ashok Gopinath, president and accountable manager at GMR Aero Technic, highlights the benefits of shared infrastructure, expertise and technology. “By integrating the civilian and defense aviation sectors, the MRO industry can maximize facility use and open new revenue streams,” he says. GMR Aero Technic, for instance, already holds approvals from both civil and defense regulators, making it well placed to benefit from this integration.

Unlike other developed MRO markets, India’s evolved into separate military and civil aviation silos. D. Anand Bhaskar, CEO of Adani Group subsidiary Air Works, contends that after decades of civil and defense aviation being isolated from one another, the four years since convergence efforts began has not been enough time for stakeholders on both sides to reorient themselves to embrace a new, radically different and collaborative way of working.

“Despite this, there has been progressive, positive movement in the isolated universes toward being more open and accepting of each other and of their mutual strengths, challenges and working in ways that complement each other—especially for aviation platforms that have been adapted for defense use—and in exploring ways that allow cross-utilization of facilities and infrastructure with appropriate approvals/compliances,” he says.

Bhaskar cites a 2023 agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Airbus to support servicing of A320-family aircraft. He also points to the Indian Air Force’s offer in 2022 to use its hangars for civil aircraft repainting and to explore using civil MRO staff to repaint defense aircraft. As a starting point, the country’s air force has begun outsourcing work that is not combat-sensitive—such as aircraft repainting, ground support equipment maintenance and supply chain management—and approximately 80 cases are in various stages of approval.

At Hindan air force station near New Delhi, private companies have been invited to use aircraft heavy maintenance facilities, sparing Indian airlines costly overseas trips. Eleven companies have expressed interest, and requests for proposals are underway.

Key Challenges

Defense needs, largely governed by geopolitical scenarios and issues of national security, can limit convergence possibilities. The drivers for civil and defense MRO also vary. “While one is focused on ensuring national security, the other [focuses on] return on investment and a positive business case, which are essentials for civil businesses,” Bhaskar says.

“Access to advanced technology is another issue, since end-user certificates signed at the time of acquiring transfer of technology from foreign OEMs restrict how far this know-how can be shared,” Air Marshal R.K.S. Shera says. “Added to this are limitations on sharing sensitive information about military platforms, which naturally raises security concerns.”

Security protocols challenge private industry’s access to military bases. On the technical side, MROs remain dependent on foreign OEMs for crucial design data required to carry out repair work, both at the structural and component level. “Finally, navigating the process of obtaining quality assurance and certification for military aircraft adds another layer of complexity, making convergence between civil and defense maintenance a difficult path to walk,” Shera adds.

Collaboration requires defining a framework for sharing new intellectual properties that may emerge as natural outcomes of the convergence. Lacking that framework can affect the degree of collaboration.

“Overcoming these challenges would lead to cost efficiencies, increased local capabilities and strengthening India’s aviation ecosystem as a whole and achieve the government vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ [Self-Reliant India] in the MRO sector,” Gopinath says.

Convergence would help India’s MRO ecosystem maximize finite resources and leverage economies of scale, Bhaskar says.

Shera also expects that civil-military convergence would stimulate the country’s MRO sector, providing business opportunities for many micro, small and medium-size enterprises.

Bhaskar says convergence could fundamentally reshape India’s MRO landscape. He notes that global pre-certifications from regulators such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the FAA already give the country’s MROs a credibility boost, establishing quality benchmarks that align with international standards. Extending this into defense cooperation would elevate not only India’s image but also its attractiveness as a regional hub for maintenance services, he notes.

According to Bhaskar, the rationale is twofold: Convergence deepens national capabilities while unlocking commercial opportunities. Shared platforms would encourage knowledge transfer, foster competition and accelerate development of indigenous defense engineering expertise. In parallel, they would create cost efficiencies for both airlines and the armed forces, reducing reliance on foreign providers and ensuring greater resilience in defense preparedness.

On the operational side, Bhaskar highlights three underappreciated benefits. First, convergence could ease India’s acute labor shortages by opening access to a highly trained defense workforce; second, it could conserve foreign exchange through reduced overseas dependency; and third, it could position India to export MRO services to regional militaries operating similar platforms.

One critical pain point that a convergence could alleviate is the shortage of skilled workers. The defense sector’s resource pool would be a big asset to the indigenous MRO industry. “Once the gaps in the current regulatory framework are addressed, this pool of men and women holding considerable experience in handling more complex aircraft represent a formidable set of skilled resources who need only be briefly retrained before being ready for deployment,” Bhaskar says.

“There is no denying the fact that a large number of skilled and experienced veterans are just idling and should be engaged in MRO activities,” Shera says. “For this, we need to focus on employing the veterans through defense resettlement directorates, who can [advise] and guide veterans prior to their retirement. This calls for proper coordination among private industry and [the] Directorate General Resettlement.”

He notes that DGCA certification for veterans will be another key factor, as not having it restricts employment opportunities in the civil aviation sector.

Civil-defense MRO convergence can already be seen at HAL’s Nashik facility in western India. Saket Chaturvedi, CEO of the complex, says HAL has developed a considerable and credible defense ecosystem in the country. “We desire to follow the same philosophy in civil aviation as well,” he states. “We wish to catalyze the civil MRO ecosystem in the country so that it becomes capable of supporting the airlines on its own.”

Chaturvedi adds that HAL has offered its defense infrastructure and equipment for cross-utilization by civil aerospace.

Civil-defense convergence in India’s MRO industry is more than an operational reform—it is a strategic necessity. By opening military infrastructure, tapping into a skilled veteran workforce and aligning regulatory frameworks, India can bridge silos that have long constrained its maintenance ecosystem.

The task ahead is challenging, as it demands trust, transparency and a willingness to break from old ways of working. But the direction is set. If India can achieve meaningful convergence, it will not just strengthen its aviation industry—it will also showcase how collaboration between the civil and defense sectors can build resilience, sovereignty and long-term competitiveness on the global stage.