The newly minted fleet of Air India Express Kab who took to the sky recently, has a strong Hyderabad connection. Most of this Boeing 737 Max aircraft that showcase Indian art on the tail – from Bandhani to Kalamkari and Phulkari to Jamdani – are hand-painted by a special team in the city. GMR Aero Technic MRO facility, based on Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA).
But domestic airlines are not the only ones entering Hyderabad.
Aero Technic MRO has aircraft flying from various foreign locations – UAE, Kuwait, Maldives, Philippines, Bangladesh to name a few – for the same glam, quickly turning the local facility into a global hub for aircraft livery (painting and branding is done outside the plane). It also has a lot of personality luxury jetsowned by top industrialists around the world, who wheeled here for a makeover.
Ordered for 2 years
Such is the demand that MRO is booked for the next 24 months, with around 35 to 40 projects scheduled annually. And this, despite serving only narrow aircraft (small commercial aircraft) today.
“Apart from the luxury of the space, our USP also has a special team of skilled painters who have been selected and trained in the facility. This work requires great precision,” he said. Ashok Gopinathpresident and responsible manager at GMR Aero Technic, added, “Due to the growing demand for livery work, we are now planning to start a similar painting facility for wide-body aircraft – next to the existing unit – in 2025.”
Eyes on the future market
There are other plans as well. To tap into markets in Africa and CIS countries, like Azerbaijan. “Although we got work from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the market has an incredible potential that we want to explore. We are also eyeing Africa and Europe and even make us de but look at MRO Europe trade fair in Spain later this year,” said Gopinath.
Along with the talent pool, what also attracts many people to the Hyderabad facility is the lower cost compared to the US and Europe – the other two markets for this project. While livery work in Hyderabad ranges between USD 150,000 (Rs 1.25 crore) and USD 200,000 (Rs 1.67 crore approx), it is at least 40% to 50% higher in the west.
“We have seen 20% to 30% growth in livery work every year. Also, when we started with domestic airlines alone, now 70% (approx.) of our business comes from international flights players,” said Aero Technic’s president.
‘Work needs precision, patience’
Dressed in white overalls, Satish Kumar and his colleagues are busy giving the final touches to the 737 Max – parked in 3,000 square meters at the MRO. An Air India Express plane is almost ready to be dispatched and will be seen cruising through the air, for its destination in the north. “The work is fascinating but it requires tremendous concentration,” says Kumar who has been doing this job for the past 10 years. He made his shift to the flight from the ship yard. Incidentally, the majority of this work is done at night as it gives the painter a quiet environment to concentrate.
“The tail of the plane requires maximum time and effort. The technique is difficult and there is no room for error,” said Sridhar Reddy, who joined the team about a year ago. Before that, he worked for an oil company in Qatar.
The entire wall at MRO is decorated with livery work completed by these painters over the years. He explains how every line, point, pattern that looks like a simple brush stroke to the common man, is measured and converted into an engineering drawing before being painted on the plane.
“Apart from patience, this work also requires extraordinary precision because if the paint is not distributed precisely on the plane it can affect the stability of the flight. So, every part is weighed after the livery work to ensure there is no excess anywhere,” said Ashok Gopinath, adding how the paint for the work is imported from western countries which is also environmentally friendly.