Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated the Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI) unit in Hyderabad. The Safran MRO facility sits inside the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park SEZ near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. It spans 45,000 square metres and carries an initial investment of ₹1,300 crore. Moreover, officials said the centre will become one of the world’s largest civil aerospace MRO hubs. They added that the unit will strengthen India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision by expanding local engine-repair capacity.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Minister Sridhar Babu attended the event. Revanth Reddy congratulated Safran for choosing Hyderabad and thanked the firm for its continued confidence in Telangana. He also said the facility marks a major milestone for the State’s aerospace and defence progress. Furthermore, he noted that the centre will employ more than 1,000 skilled engineers and technicians.
Safran MRO facility reinforces growing India–France aerospace partnership
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the launch comes at a crucial moment as India positions itself as a global aviation hub. Additionally, he pointed out that creating one of the world’s largest engine-MRO centres outside France reflects strong trust in Indian engineering.
Safran Chairman Ross McInnes said the company has maintained a strong defence partnership with India for seven decades. He explained that Safran engines power fighters like the Mirage 2000 and Rafale. He further highlighted the firm’s successful collaboration with HAL. According to him, HAL’s future multi-role helicopters will use ‘Aravalli’ engines co-designed and co-developed by HAL and Safran. He added that Safran contributed crucial testing and communication equipment to Chandrayaan-3. McInnes described the India–France bond as a shared pursuit of strategic autonomy.
He also announced the groundbreaking for the first Rafale M88 engine MRO workshop outside France, thereby deepening bilateral cooperation.