The Airline-MRO AFI KLM E&M and India‘s leading airline operator IndiGo have signed an agreement to extend their component support contract covering over 350 aircraft. The range of services to be delivered by AFI KLM E&M includes component repairs, dedicated pool access, provision of a Main Base Kit (MBK) at the hub of IndiGo‘s airline operations in Delhi, as well as logistics support.
Extending a long-standing partnership
By signing this long-term contract, the two companies are extending and strengthening a business relationship that began with the creation of IndiGo in 2006 and has been growing significantly over the past years, driven by the strong fleet growth; and network expansion of IndiGo. While initially AFI KLM E&M provided component support for IndiGo’s A320 fleet, the partners also added the ATR fleet to the partnership in 2017. In 2019, the Indian carrier, holding over 50% of India‘s domestic market, placed an order for 300 A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft to support its ambitious growth plans. Based on this strong foundation, AFI KLM E&M has continued to develop and optimise its support organisation in order to provide the most efficient and adaptive MRO solutions, including the development of local repair capabilities through its local MRO joint venture Max MRO Services (MMS) as well as the establishment of a local support organisation dedicated to support IndiGo’s fleet operations.
“We are delighted to continue our cooperation with a world leader in aircraft maintenance services. The high standard of support already provided by AFI KLM E&M over many years, together with their unique expertise on the A320 product both as an airline and MRO, convinced us to continue placing our trust in them” says Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, President and Chief Operating Officer of IndiGo.
Géry Mortreux, EVP Air France Industries, highlighted “the excellent quality of our relations with IndiGo. We are proud to continue to support the development of this hugely successful airline in one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world. Together with my team, we will always strive to provide the best support possible and to keep exploring ways to further optimize our services.”
A major player on the Indian MRO market and in the Asia Pacific region
With more of 60,000 components repaired per year and 2800 aircraft maintained, AFI KLM E&M is a leading player on the aircraft component market and has established a strong presence in Asia Pacific, and in particular for the support of new generation aircraft including the A320neo. To support airline customers throughout the region, AFI KLM E&M has built a comprehensive MRO support infrastructure consisting of repair shops, logistic centers, and customer support teams. Located in Mumbai, Max MRO Services is a leader in the component MRO business for customers operating commercial aircraft fleets in India and the neighboring regions.
“We are very pleased with IndiGo’s decision to extend our long-term partnership. The extension marks another milestone in our strategy to strengthen our leadership position in the A320neo market segment and to further develop our regional MRO foot-print in the Asia Pacific region”, adds Dominik Wiener-Silva, AFI KLM E&M VP Sales Asia Pacific.
