By Sangeeta Saxena
New Delhi. 11 June 2024. As Air Works celebrates its 75th anniversary, the company stands as a testament to innovation and resilience in the aviation Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) industry. In an exclusive interview with Editor Aviation & Defence Universe (ADU) Sangeeta Saxena, Anand Bhaskar, CEO of Air Works, discusses the dynamic changes and strategic advancements that have shaped the company’s journey. From pioneering capabilities in aircraft finishing and cabin interiors to expanding its footprint across India and beyond, Air Works has consistently been ahead of the curve. Bhaskar sheds light on the company’s future plans, including global expansion, enhancing technological investments, and navigating the challenges posed by the Indian aviation landscape. He also shares insights into the importance of a robust supply chain, the impact of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and Air Works’ commitment to maintaining top-notch standards and customer satisfaction. This interview provides a comprehensive overview of how Air Works is gearing up for an exciting future while honoring its rich legacy.
ADU. As Air Works enters its 75th year, what changes and advancements do you envisage for it?
AB. Change has been a constant since our inception. And it continues to be so, even today – given the dynamism of aviation, and increasingly, of Indian aviation.
Traditionally, Air Works has always been ahead of the curve. We’ve inducted capabilities in Aircraft finishing/ painting and Cabin interiors and even Line maintenance, into India, almost 10-15 years ago, when they weren’t the buzz words as they’re today. We get immense benefits in being able to offer newer services to our customers and for his reason, we keep on reviewing the scope of our MOE (Maintenance Order Exposition) and Services portfolio – from both a Business Case as well as the Customer Value Proposition perspective.
We remain committed to capability and capacity expansion while endeavoring to first juice our current infrastructure to the max. 2024 promises to be exciting year and we plan to monetize certain global opportunities in both Business and Commercial aviation. Our focus will be to enhance our approval matrix at Kochi for Base maintenance, increase our share of end-of-lease projects from global lessors and customers, broaden our customer mix, complement our current capacities in Painting and Interiors, against a backdrop of a more fulfilling customer experience, supported by competent resources possessing requisite trainings/ certifications, as needed and continuing investment in technology. We also have some exciting initiatives for Training and Career development in the pipeline this year, and I shall be happy to talk about them, in time.
ADU. What is the existing global market, and do you have plans to expand it?
AB. Air Works’ growing and addressable Engineering & Maintenance market comprises the APAC, India & ASEAN, as well as the Middle East region. We endeavor to deepen our client relationships and widen our capabilities to ensure our continued relevance to our customers across India and the region. Our 27-city presence across India and Nepal, our diversified portfolio into Commercial, business and defense industry, long-term relationships and our quality workmanship are our leverageable assets for securing growth.
ADU. How robust is your supply chain and does the national mantra of Aatmanirbhar Bharat restrict presence of foreign suppliers? What is the percentage of imported spares in your supply chain?
AB. Air Works has time-tested relationships with leading OEMs as well as international and Indian logistics partners. Our 27-city and 50-location network is testament of our robust supply chain and our 24×7 commitment towards our customers.
The spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat is about creating and enhancing critical capabilities that augment self- reliance of the nation. In fact, it is a just and an open ask that promotes collaboration, given that Aviation global industry – has historically, been west dominated. Foreign suppliers can’t be wished away given that they have held the reins of the industry for so long. Promoting self-reliance will expand the global supplier pool with indigenous companies and will help make the industry more equitable and efficient in the long run at a global level. Virtually all spares in civil aviation today are imported, given the capabilities and investments required to manufacture and test them extensively, and aviation’s relentless focus on passenger safety and reliability.
ADU. State-of-the-art facilities has been Air Works’ USP. Do you feel some latest equipment and technology need to be incorporated into its systems to match global standards?
AB. I appreciate your compliments on the top-notch standards of our maintenance facilities. Air Works is increasingly competing for business that is global in nature and therefore, we must ensure that our facilities, workmanship, and even our ways-of-working are completely at par or even a notch above standards and expectations that have been already defined by the market as mainstream. Similarly, investment in technology and digitization demonstrates that Air Works is equally competitive as well as capable to meet global maintenance and delivery standards as well as customer expectations in the spheres where we do business.
ADU. Is there a difference in leased and owned aircraft when they come for checks to you?
AB. Maintenance is a cost for any airline or aircraft operator, regardless of whether the asset is leased or owned. Operators endeavor to minimize aircraft downtime to ensure a profitable return on investment. As a DGCA and EASA-approved 145 organization, Air Works is committed to ensure that every aircraft that comes under our care receives the required and thorough attention, and that, is what which makes us India’s most-loved MRO – a testament of our workmanship, which is regarded as industry’s-best.
ADU. Does Air Works have a regular and chalked out mid-service training programme for its technicians?
AB. As a 145 and 147 organization, we have regular and periodic trainings as mandated, for our technicians and engineers, in sync with our customer requirements and business strategy. At the same time, our Quality and HR teams undertake periodic assessments to ensure ideal resource fitment on an ongoing basis. We are in the midst of rolling out a couple of mid-service programs currently.
ADU. Has there been an expansion in the rotary wing arena for Air Works, in addition to being an Authorized Service Centre (ASC) for Bell and Leonardo helicopters?
AB. We’ve added several rotary wing clients in the last 24 months and continue to be among the top two maintenance partners in the country for helicopters. Our ASC relationships with both Bell and Leonardo have been rewarding and getting stronger. And yes, we are exploring expanding our current ASC relationships basis market trends.
ADU. Has Air Works plans to enter into unmanned systems MRO activities?
AB. We are aggressively tracking the developments in this domain and shall announce our decision once we finalize an approach. Currently, besides the fact, that the area is highly dynamic and fast evolving, there is a lot of work underway in the certification area.
ADU. Boeing and Air Works had initiated MRO activities for Indian Navy’s P8Is. What is the status of this foray of Air Works into military MRO activities?
AB. Air Works has already proven its mettle in the defense MRO domain. Besides P-8Is for the Indian Navy, we have also successfully undertaken HU-192 and LU-192 (16 Yearly] maintenance checks on Embraer ERJ-135 platform for the IAF and the BSF. We’ve also done some significantly elaborate, re-configuration work on the Mi-17 V5, again for the IAF. Given the immense experience under our belt, we are exploring upcoming opportunities in conjunction with the Defense services.
ADU. What is the current status of SA Air Works – the joint venture between the Air Works Group and Scandinavian Avionics (SA) Group?
AB. With Indian aviation on a rocket, our investment in Avionics [SA Air Works] with Scandinavian Avionics, has been quite successful and beginning to increasingly pay off. Besides their System integration, Component repair, and Equipment sale & services offerings, SA Air Works is now also the country’s first private aviation design organization [DOA] in civil aviation, accredited by the DGCA in end-2022. This is a huge and significant milestone for us and for India, and it opens up an almost infinite opportunity for India to do its very own STCs [Supplemental Type Certificates] – Intellectual Properties (IP) – a space from where India has been largely absent in the aviation industry.
SA Air Works’ capabilities and relationships with almost all leading avionics OEMs such as Garmin, Honeywell, Collins, Universal Avionics and others, make it a real value-enhancer for Indian and sub- continent aviation players, especially as avionics and technology-led enhancements becomes more and more central to aviation. Our association with Scandinavian Avionics – a key player in the global avionics’ ecosystem – bestows our customers with an immense advantage in terms of seamlessly leveraging their vast library of STCs, with the added confidence of remaining engaged with Air Works.
As told to Sangeeta Saxena
