Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI) facility at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park–SEZ near Hyderabad via videoconferencing. He said the launch represents a new milestone for India’s aviation sector and will support the nation’s emergence as a global Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub. He added that the facility will create high-skilled opportunities for young talent in the aerospace sector.

The Prime Minister noted that India is now one of the fastest-growing domestic aviation markets in the world and has become the third-largest globally. With rising aspirations and increasing air-travel demand, Indian airlines have placed orders for more than 1,500 new aircraft. He observed that nearly 85 per cent of India’s MRO requirements are still fulfilled overseas, leading to higher costs and extended aircraft downtime. To address this, the Government is strengthening India’s position as a major MRO destination, with the Safran facility marking the first deep-level servicing operation set up by a global OEM in the country.

PM Modi said the facility’s global training and knowledge-transfer programmes will help develop a skilled Indian workforce, giving fresh momentum to the wider MRO ecosystem. He added that India is also working to build an MRO framework for the shipping sector.

Emphasising the importance of “Design in India”, the Prime Minister encouraged Safran to explore aircraft-engine and component design opportunities in India, citing the country’s strong MSME base and young engineering talent. He expressed hope that India’s capabilities could be further leveraged in propulsion system design and manufacturing.

PM Modi highlighted that India is “dreaming big, doing bigger and delivering best”, supported by extensive reforms to improve ease of doing business. He noted that India has opened most sectors to 100 per cent FDI via the automatic route, including major liberalisation in defence and space. Production Linked Incentive schemes, he said, have attracted global manufacturers and strengthened the Make in India programme.

The Prime Minister added that more than 40,000 compliance requirements have been reduced in recent years, hundreds of business-related provisions have been decriminalised and multiple approvals have been integrated into the National Single Window System. GST reforms, faceless tax assessment, new labour codes and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code have made governance more transparent and business-friendly. India, he said, is now recognised as a trusted partner and rising manufacturing hub with stable growth, strong economic fundamentals and a large talent pool.

He concluded that investors are treated as co-creators in India’s development journey and described investing in India as “the smartest business decision of this decade”. The Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, and Union Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu also attended the event.