Due to disruptions in flight operations caused by a shortage of spare parts amidst global supply chain challenges, Indian airlines are increasingly turning to local suppliers for non-critical aircraft components, industry insiders report.

According to executives from Air India and IndiGo, the aviation sector in India is adopting a trend prevalent in the US, aiming to gain cost and time benefits for carriers. The substantial orders placed by Indian airlines for planes are expected to result in a sizable fleet, allowing domestic carriers to negotiate favourable terms with lessors for leasing aircraft and utilising local non-critical parts, resulting in cost savings of over 40%. Additionally, the availability time for some parts is anticipated to decrease from six months to under 30 days, as discussed by industry executives at the Aero MRO India 2023 event in New Delhi.

Sisira Kanta Dash, Chief Technical Officer at Air India, highlighted the shift towards using local suppliers for non-critical parts, emphasising the importance of accepting such parts in leases. In aviation terminology, non-critical parts of an aircraft fall under Part 21 of the Parts Manufacturer Approval, which mandates compliance for sourcing products, appliances, and parts through authorised entities.

IndiGo has also initiated a process to seek approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to purchase non-critical, non-structural items. This effort, started two years ago, has allowed IndiGo to use indigenous non-critical parts for its aircraft. Parichay Datta, Vice President and Deputy Head of Engineering at IndiGo, emphasised the acceptability of this approach, stating that they have identified and produced in-house non-critical items, such as paper and non-load carrying items for cabins.

The approach of third-party or in-house production of non-critical parts is particularly beneficial for airlines using older aircraft, where small parts may no longer be available or are in short supply. The Indian maintenance, repair, and overhaul industry are gearing up to build capacity for producing these non-critical parts in response to the rising demand. Bharat Malkani, President of the MRO Association of India, expressed readiness to pursue building small parts acceptable to the Indian airlines industry, provided there is clarity from the airlines regarding what is acceptable in the initial phases of design and production.

Source: Mint