French aerospace firm Safran Aircraft Engines is building a new engine manufacturing plant in Hyderabad to make parts for the LEAP turbofan engine from CFM International. Towards this, Safran will be investing 36 million euro in this new plant, which will cover 13,000 square metres, including 8,000 square metres of workshops, in the Special Economic Zone of GMR near the airport.
Construction is set to kick off in June 2019, and will aim at delivering the building and producing the first parts in early 2020. The plant will have about 50 employees by the end of the year to launch operations and will eventually have a workforce of 300.
“We’re delighted to open a new chapter in our long history with the Indian aerospace industry,” Philippe Petitcolin, CEO, Safran said in a statement.
READ ALSO | After RBI rap, YES Bank says a report released to comply with SEBI norms
When the plant hits cruise speed in 2023, it will be able to deliver 15,000 parts per year to support the LEAP’s sustained production rate. CFM is set to deliver 1,800 engines this year, rising to 2,000 starting in 2020.
With more than 17,000 orders and commitments recorded to date, the LEAP is the fastest selling engine in the history of aviation. The new-generation LEAP entered service in 2016 and has now passed the mark of 3 million flight-hours. It already powers more than 700 Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX commercial airliners, including 54 operated by Indian airlines.
Safran has operations in India since 65 years and now has over 600 employees at seven companies which provide design, production and support services for aerospace and defence, plus a maintenance training centre in Hyderabad for CFM engines. Started in 2010, this centre can train more than 500 technicians a year.
Safran had already announced in 2018 the construction of a Safran Electrical & Power factory to produce LEAP engines harnesses and Rafale fighter electrical wiring inter-connection systems.
