Question : OUTSOURCING OF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE WORK

(a) the number and details of aircraft of Air India sent overseas for maintenance and repair during the last three years and the current year, year-wise;

(b) whether Air India has been losing millions of dollars due to this and due to corruption and mismanagement in the outsourcing of repairs to overseas vendors by its engineering department;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the engineering department of the Air India has failed to push through warranty claims properly and at several times deliberately delayed action to allow warranty period to expire;

(e) if so, the facts thereof and the responsibility fixed by the Government on such lapses alongwith the steps taken by the Government to check recurrence of such lapses in future;

(f) whether there is any proposal to begin a Maintenance and Repair Operation centre in India; and

(g) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (SHRI AJIT SINGH)

(a): Air India had sent 3 B777-200 aircraft overseas for maintenance/repair/servicing during December, 2010 and May 2011 respectively.

(b) and (c): The repairs of Air India aircraft are generally undertaken in-house. Aircraft are sent to overseas only in case of special circumstances such as for leased aircraft where lessors specifys that re-delivery check has to be carried out at the facility which are approved by FAA/EASA. In addition some of the aircraft in Air India`s fleet were also sent to overseas for checks/repair which were beyond Air India`s capability/ capacity to undertake repairs in-house. The aircraft are sent overseas for repairs after following the tendering process and as per laid down procedures and CVC guidelines.

(d): No, Madam.

(e): Does not arise.

(f) and (g): The Turn Around Plan (TAP) approved by the Cabinet on 12th April, 2012 also envisaged a business model which included separate ground handling and MRO operations from the main airlines business and Air India Engineering Service Limited (AIESL) which was incorporated in 2004 in erstwhile Air India would be operationalised as a subsidiary company with independant management.