Honeywell Aerospace scouts for more MRO partnerships in India

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Company’s senior executive cites India as a major sourcing market, with over 100 parts suppliers

By Rohit Vaid

Updated - October 23, 2026 at 08:52 PM. | New Delhi, Oct 23:

According to the company, it has around 3,600 aerospace employees in India, including nearly 3,000 engineers, who support its domestic and global programmes. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

US-based Honeywell Aerospace is scouting for more maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) partnerships in India as it looks to expand local capabilities.

Speaking to businessline, Ben Driggs, Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer, Honeywell Aerospace, said partnerships form a key part of its strategy to build an aerospace ecosystem in India that supports both domestic requirements and its global business.

As part of its MRO expansion, Honeywell Aerospace announced a licensing agreement with GMR in July for repairs of its components fitted on CFM LEAP engines used on Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Notably, Driggs cited the arrangement as an example of bringing additional repair capabilities to India through partnerships, with local players undertaking licensed repairs of Honeywell Aerospace components.

Indirect Investments

The executive said its approach includes indirect investments through ecosystem development, alongside expenditure on talent and infrastructure.

Besides, decisions on bringing additional capabilities to India, executives said, are taken based on their economics.

However, the company did not disclose a quantified investment plan or identify prospective MRO partners.

Furthermore, Driggs said the emphasis remains on developing capabilities, with partnerships enabling the company to bring its technologies to India.

Specialised Training

Meanwhile, Vijay Yaram, Country Leader, India, Honeywell Aerospace, said India is also a major sourcing market, with over 100 parts suppliers forming part of its supply ecosystem.

According to the company, it has around 3,600 aerospace employees in India, including nearly 3,000 engineers, who support its domestic and global programmes.

Its capability development efforts include sending engineers from India to work on global programmes and investing in specialised training.

Beyond parts, Honeywell Aerospace highlighted ‘Ensemble’, an aircraft engine-health monitoring system developed entirely in India that uses artificial intelligence to support predictive maintenance.

Features

In addition, the system downloads engine-performance data after an aircraft lands and processes it to assess engine health and identify maintenance requirements. According to the company, the system has already been deployed commercially.

The latest partnership push follows Honeywell Aerospace’s plans, outlined to businessline last year, to explore significant investments in India’s civil aviation sector and expand its MRO capabilities.

At the time, the company said it intended to increase sourcing from India by nearly four times over the next few years, identifying the country as a key market for long-term expansion.

It had also identified opportunities in local manufacturing, fleet and airport expansion, public-private partnerships, and research and development in next-generation aviation technologies.

Additionally, expanding local maintenance infrastructure, it said, could help optimise operating costs, reduce turnaround times and generate employment, while supporting greater self-reliance over the longer term.

Industry estimates cited in last year’s report placed the investment required for a greenfield MRO facility at around $150–200 million.

Such infrastructure can help reduce turnaround times, cut costs and extend the lifespan of avionics.

The Centre has also been pushing for greater onshore MRO capabilities to reduce reliance on overseas repairs.

Last year, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had highlighted that Indian MRO entities accounted for only 14 per cent of the market in FY24, with a target to increase the share to 50 per cent by 2030.

Published on October 23, 2026

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