CFM International has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) to develop a new CFM56 maintenance training centre at the Rajiv Gandhi Airport in Hyderabad.
The training centre is envisaged to mirror CFM facilities currently operating in France, the United States, and China, and would initially provide advanced courses in line maintenance and inspection of CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B engines, which power Airbus A320 family aircraft and all Boeing 737s, respectively. The new centre’s planned location is in a special economic zone at the airport dedicated to maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).
"In 2007, we made a commitment to our Indian airline customers to build a new maintenance training school in country to help support the growing aviation industry,” said Eric Bachelet, president and CEO of CFM. "We are pleased to take this very important step in fulfilling that commitment and are looking forward to developing a long and fruitful relationship with GMR."
"Hyderabad is ideally located for attracting airline mechanics and engineers from India and South Asia," said Paul-Andre Chevrin, CFM's vice-president for India. "Once the facility is fully operational, it will be capable of training up to 500 engineers each year."
G.M. Rao, chairman, GMR Group, added, “This very important agreement with CFM will benefit India’s entire aviation industry. This will help India’s airline companies to considerably reduce costs, conserve time, valuable foreign exchange and create huge employment opportunities for Indian youth.”
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