HAL and Pawan Hand Ltd (PHL) have signed an MoU to establish a joint venture based at Rohini (Delhi) to carry out maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work related to all types of helicopters and to address the needs of defence and civil markets in India and other countries. The agreement was finalised during India Aviation 2016 in Hyderabad.

According to HAL chairman T. Suvarna Raju, the two companies will form a joint working team to conduct detailed studies and prepare the business plan, timeline and other required documents.

HAL has years of experience in manufacturing and overhauling Cheetah/Chetak and Dhruv helicopters, as well as providing support for the Indian Navy Sea King. PHL is the largest civil helicopter operator in India. HAL’s helicopter business is expected to grow rapidly in years to come. The Indian civil helicopter fleet is expected to reach 800 over the next 10 years. In addition, there are requirements for 600 military rotorcraft.

This fleet expansion will generate a need for MRO and logistic support. Also, under the Government of India’s “Make in India” campaign, there is expected to be greater emphasis on boosting the civil aviation sector. The Government released a new Draft Civil Aviation Policy on 30th October 2015 with a special focus on helicopters and MRO.