India’s aviation ambitions are soaring higher as AIESL hits full capacity, marking a significant milestone in the country’s push to become a global aviation hub. With all hangars — across wide-body and narrow-body categories — completely booked, AIESL is witnessing an unprecedented surge in demand for its aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services.
From Delhi to Trivandrum, and Mumbai to Nagpur, the hum of aircraft maintenance is unrelenting. AIESL’s wide-body hangars — two in Nagpur and three in Mumbai, including a dual hangar — are fully occupied. Simultane-ously, all seven hangars for narrow-body aircraft like A320s and Boeing 737s are running at maximum capacity. “Hangars Full Hai” – A Sign of Global Trust, “We’re running at full capacity. ‘Hangars full hai’ — that’s the situation now”. “Each wide-body aircraft brings in nearly ?10 crore and takes under 25 days to service. The growth is real and measurable.”
This operational peak is driven by AIESL’s expanding international footprint. While AIESL continues to be a key client, the company has steadily added global carriers to its portfolio.
Kuwait Airways, for example, signed a contract in 2023 for the maintenance of seven wide-body aircraft — and impressed by the results, returned in 2025 with a repeat order. Four of those aircraft have already been serviced, with the remaining three scheduled for completion soon.
Talks are also underway with two additional international airlines, expected to be finalised soon. These partnerships signal a growing confidence in India’s MRO capabilities from global carriers looking for cost-effective yet high-quality services.
This growth directly supports the Prime Minister’s vision of transforming India into a global aviation hub. The MRO sector, long seen as an underutilised asset, is now emerging as a vital part of this strategy.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, under dynamic young leadership, has taken proactive steps to make India an attractive MRO destination. These include regulatory streamlining, policy support, and capacity-building initiatives that are already bearing fruit.
AIESL, which became an independent entity in 2015 after being carved out from AIESL, has achieved this growth without any government financial support. Despite carrying a negative net worth from the post-disinvestment phase, it has delivered operational surpluses consistently over the past five years.
“We’re self-sustaining and proud of it,” Agarwal said. “We’ve not asked the government for a single rupee. Our performance speaks for itself — we’re building not just capacity, but credibility.”
In response to rising demand, AIESL has aggressively expanded its workforce — adding over 2,000 professionals in the last three years. The company now employs over 5,000 people and continues to recruit skilled aviation professionals across its facilities.
Despite a slight dip in revenue in FY25 (provisional) to Rs 1,980 crore — down from Rs 2,180 crore in FY24 and ?2,045 crore in FY23 — AIESL has managed to maintain strong operational health. EBITDA margins have remained robust, improving from 40% in FY24 to 42% in FY25 (provisional), after standing at 43% in FY23.
Profit After Tax (PAT), which had seen a temporary drop in FY24 to Rs 253 crore from Rs 632 crore in FY23, has rebounded significantly to Rs 427 crore in FY25 (provisional). The PAT margin has similarly recovered from 12% in FY24 to 22% in FY25, reflecting the company’s operational resilience and strategic investments paying off.
The FY24 dip, according to insiders, was a result of operational adjustments and forward-looking investments in capacity-building. With these investments now delivering returns, the current year’s projections indicate a strong bounce-back trajectory.
With hangars full, international interest rising, and a growing reputation for efficiency and quality, AIESL is rapidly emerging as a cornerstone of India’s aviation growth story. In many ways, its trajectory mirrors the aspirations of a nation looking skyward—not just to fly, but to lead.
