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GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, (GHIAL) and Indian Airlines Limited (IA) have signed a lease agreement to set up maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) facility at the upcoming Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad.

As per terms of the agreement, the Indian Airlines will build a MRO facility at the new international airport at Shamshabad. Existing operations at Begumpet airport will be transferred to the new MRO, once the new facility is commissioned around the time the airport goes operational in the first quarter of 2008.

On its part, the GHIAL will build connecting taxiway, apron and a engine run-up bay as common facilities for the Indian Airlines' MRO.

The facility in Begumpet airport handles the initial maintenance checks (including C-checks) on IA's Airbus-320 aircraft. The IA will render similar service to aircraft belonging to Air India, as well as its own, at the new facility.

Besides the MRO at Begumpet, the Indian Airlines has similar facilities at Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata airports as well.

The GMR Hyderabad International Aiprort Limited (GHIAL) is a joint venture company promoted by GMR Group (63%), Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (11%), Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%) and Airports Authority of India (13%) as the other consortium partners.

Hyderabad is in the geographic centre of India, which puts it within a two hours flying time to all the major cities in India and 3-5 hours flying time to all major cities in the Middle East and South East Asia.

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