an interesting article from Aviation Now quoting few highlights

"When Asia's second-biggest tiger starts clearing its throat, the world pays attention. India's air traffic has been growing at a torrid 20 percent annual pace for about 18 months, and more than 400 aircraft have been ordered, doubling the current fleet. State-run airlines are renovating; an established private carrier, Jet Airways, is expanding; new airlines with a variety of business models have taken off and even more are on the taxiways. Global aviation firms, including maintenance providers, are watching this newly muscular Bengal beast very closely.......

Air India's capabilities are deep for airframes, engines and components on 747s, as well as on Airbus A310s and A300B4s. Much more limited capabilities exist for 777s and 737-800s. In Mumbai, Air India operates four main hangars and has two line hangars for widebody aircraft. The carrier's engine overhaul department (capable of overhauling GE CF6-80C2s and Pratt & Whitney JT9Ds and PW4000s) and some sections of its engineering department are approved by both FAA and JAA as foreign repair stations.........

The most recent Boeing forecast put India's requirements at nearly 600 aircraft over the next 20 years. Although Airbus forecasts more than 900 will be needed and Boeing may revise its prediction upward, Keskar said long-term projections are not consistent with bringing in 400 aircraft in just four years. "We forecast the need for fewer ATRs in 20 years than have already been ordered," he noted. The 2004 to 2006 burst in traffic already has pushed both airline salaries and aircraft lease rates up dramatically, and the price of fuel, already heavily taxed in India, has risen worldwide........

GE Engines' parent company already has a wide range of Indian manufacturing, services and technology businesses, employing a total of 12,000 people who earn revenues of $700 million. Jaques Chausse, general manager services marketing, expects that overhaul shops for the growing fleet of GE engines will be partly located inside India and partly outside the country. "We can make location decisions on a strict business case by scale and volume, or according to what the customer wants," Chausse said. "It will more likely be the latter, but it may be premature to expect something in-country in the next three to five years." GE already has shops in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, in addition to its global centers of excellence. GE now provides on-wing support for engines in India through teams based in China......."

rgds

VT-ASJ