Air India and SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the formation of a maintenance, repair and overhaul joint venture in India. The MoU, signed on Friday, will examine collaboration to develop India as a global aviation MRO hub and to serve growing needs across the Indian and regional markets. SIA Engineering Company, part of the Singapore Airlines Group which holds a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, will bring technical expertise alongside Air India's established airline operations network. The partnership builds on existing cooperation between the two companies on maintenance and component support for Air India's expanding fleet and network. In May 2024 Air India appointed SIAEC as its base maintenance strategic partner for the development of base maintenance facilities in Bengaluru. In February 2024 the companies signed a 12-year Inventory Technical Management agreement to provide extensive component support for Air India's Airbus A320 family fleet. The latest MoU is intended to deepen the partnership and jointly develop a world-class MRO ecosystem in India. The proposed collaboration could include formation of a joint venture that would combine SIAEC's MRO capabilities with Air India's operational scale to cater to domestic and regional carriers. The move aligns with wider efforts to position India as a maintenance hub that can attract traffic from airlines across the region. Executives from both sides will assess technical, regulatory and commercial aspects as the exploratory work progresses. The development follows several strategic steps since the Tata Group completed its acquisition of Air India in January 2022 and Singapore Airlines Group secured a minority stake. Earlier this year the two carriers signed a commercial cooperation framework to explore improved connectivity between India and Singapore among other initiatives. The companies said the exploratory work is a further step in their multi-year collaboration to bolster aviation capabilities in India.