The aim is to ensure the rapid delivery of spare parts to commercial airlines and subsequently also supply defense aircraft, Boeing India President Salil Gupte told TOI.
The move comes just ahead of Air India’s expected mega firm order for 220 Boeing aircraft – 190 single-aisle B737 Max, 20 B787 Dreamliner and 10 B777X – which will come with options for a large number of additional aircraft that Tata Group can convert into firm order at a later date without long delivery terms.
“We have not yet decided on the location of the proposed Indian fulfillment center. Initially, it will serve our commercial airline and serve as a distribution center for our industrial customers. We will house spare parts in this center as per customer requirements in a that they can get the same quickly. This will significantly reduce the time aircraft have to be on the ground waiting for spares. We will subsequently keep spares for military aircraft at this center,” Gupte said.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday, Boeing said it had launched its first Global Support Center (GSC) in India “to continue supporting the development of the aviation ecosystem in the country.”
The Gurgaon-based GSC will deliver customized operational efficiencies and safety enhancement projects for Boeing’s airline customers, civil aviation regulatory bodies and other industry stakeholders.
“With India continuing to see an unprecedented surge in civil aviation traffic, Boeing is committed to innovating and adding value to modernize India’s aviation ecosystem,” Gupte said, adding that the GSC ” will provide a platform to enable knowledge transfer to improve safety and increasing operational efficiency for Boeing’s partner airlines in the country.”
The GSC, Boeing says, will conduct workshops and technical projects to support aircraft reliability, improve aircraft performance and encourage adoption of aircraft health management systems.
