- Bharat Malkani on India’s Role in the Global MRO Ecosystem
Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 08 April 2025. The aviation MRO sector is at a crucial turning point, with India emerging as a key player in global aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). As Indo-US collaboration in aviation deepens, industry leaders like Max Aerospace are working towards fostering strategic partnerships that can bring advanced technologies, regulatory harmonization, and greater integration into global supply chains. In this exclusive conversation with Bharat Malkani, CMD of Max Aerospace, we explore the significance of India’s participation at MRO Americas, the evolving dynamics of the Indo-US MRO ecosystem, and how future collaborations can enhance India’s aviation capabilities.
ADU. How significant is the MRO Americas platform for fostering India-US collaboration in the aviation MRO sector?
Bharat Malkani. This will be our first time attending MRO Americas. With the change in global dynamics, India is now seen as a preferred partner to USA. Max Aerospace has always been a company with pioneering vision. Ergo, we see this move by us as a significant indicator of the US India collaboration in the MRO Sector.
ADU. Which specific areas within MRO—airframe, engine, component, or avionics—have seen the most collaboration between India and the US so far?
Bharat Malkani. MRO as correctly pointed out by you is spread over all these sectors. While a lot of progress has been made over the years in the Airframe side of the business, Components and Engines leave much to be desired. We expect this to change in the coming period and make some strong announcements for the upcoming partnerships.
ADU. What role can US MRO companies play in transferring advanced maintenance technologies and best practices to Indian firms?
Bharat Malkani. US companies have had the historical advantage of performing MRO for a long time and with access to technologies from a solid home base. These learnings once shared with the Indian companies will strengthen INDO-US ties through such collaborations and allow technologies transfer to such Indian MRO companies.
ADU. What challenges do Indian MRO companies face when integrating into global MRO supply chains led by US players?
Bharat Malkani. Our challenges continue to be more at home then with integrating into global MRO supply chains. The cost of Indian MRO despite having good labour arbitrage is high and we are hopeful that these policy hurdles will be removed soon.
ADU. Are there opportunities for co-development of MRO capabilities between Indian firms and US OEMs, especially for components and engines?
Bharat Malkani. There are always such opportunities. The differential scale of US companies and Indian companies will be the primary driver of such co-development partnerships.
ADU. How can regulatory harmonization between DGCA India and FAA help facilitate smoother MRO business between the two countries?
Bharat Malkani. Regulatory harmonization will allow a seamless transfer of services from US to Indian and vice versa when the same is accepted.
ADU. Beyond civil aviation, are there opportunities for India and the US to collaborate on MRO for defence aircraft and military platforms?
Bharat Malkani. USA is likely to become the largest supplier of Aircraft to India in the coming decade. Already we have aircraft like the C17, C130J, AH64 Apache and the Chinook operating in India. All these aircraft, and those incoming will need local MRO. Ergo, they will create opportunities for qualifying Indian companies. Max Aerospace is a prime example of successful Indo US Aviation partnerships.
ADU. What is your focus as co-organiser of Aviation India 2025 on the Indo-US MRO industry?
Bharat Malkani. The MRO Association of India has partnered with ‘Times Now’ of Aviation Week and Space Technology fame to create India’s first truly global MRO and Aviation platform starting the 28th of October 2025 in Delhi. Our focus is to give our members the best possible exposure to global Aerospace companies, all of whom have already committed to be a part of this event.
ADU. How will this event contribute to shaping policy dialogues and fostering industry collaboration between US & India?
Bharat Malkani. This event will be a milestone for Indian Aviation and MRO. It is a collaboration between the MRO Association of India (which is India’s largest and only Association for all Indian MRO and Engineering companies) with Aviation Week Group (The world’s largest and most prestigious publication group in Aviation).
We anticipate a healthy dialogue between our industry and the Indian Government. We will have a chance to genuinely understand the best global practices. We will have an opportunity to hear from both sides, Indian Government as well the Aviation majors and arrive at a successful formula to make Indian Aviation and MRO competitive and globally recognized and acceptable.
As India strengthens its position in the global MRO industry, partnerships with US aviation giants will play a pivotal role in transferring advanced technologies, improving regulatory synergy, and boosting local capabilities. While challenges such as policy hurdles and cost structures remain, industry-led initiatives like Aviation India 2025 are set to bridge gaps, drive meaningful dialogue, and create a truly global platform for MRO and aviation stakeholders. With companies like Max Aerospace leading the charge, Indo-US MRO collaboration is on track to redefine the aviation maintenance landscape.
As told to Sangeeta Saxena
