Air Works India Engineering (Stand 1869) has been appointed a Dassault Falcon authorized service center (ASC), offering Falcon operators a maintenance capability in India eventually leading to heavy maintenance.

Established in 1951, Air Works lays claim to being India’s oldest MRO. It operates base maintenance facilities in Mumbai, Delhi and the Bangalore suburb of Hosur, as well as nine additional line maintenance locations. The Hosur facility is an EASA-approved airline MRO with approvals for ATR42/72, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

The Air Works facility in Mumbai, a CAR 145 repair station approved by the DGCA Indian National Authority, initially will act as a line service center, providing 24-hour troubleshooting, line maintenance and inspections for Falcon 900EX and 900 EASy series aircraft. The company will invest in the tooling and training necessary to perform B checks in a first phase, followed by C checks in the third quarter of 2012. “Anticipating future support needs of operators in the region,” Air Works also plans to add technicians and avionics specialists trained in Falcon 7X maintenance.

The company has worked on Falcons for some 15 years, starting with the Falcon 200. “What the ASC certification does is improve the synergies that have existed thus far,” said Ravi Menon, Air Works director of business development.

The Falcon jet fleet in India is currently numbered at 20 and is expected to grow significantly in the next five years. Menon said Air Works looks to support that fleet, plus Falcon jets transiting India.

In addition to Dassault Falcon, Air Works is an authorized service center for AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Embraer, Garmin, Hawker Beechcraft, Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and Superjet International.

The 47,000-sq-ft Mumbai service center has 10 technicians dedicated to Falcon aircraft. Given the company’s other OEM relationships, Menon said Air Works can serve as a “one-stop” Falcon shop. For example, it can service the flight deck of the Falcon 900EX EASy, based on Honeywell Primus Epic avionics, as well as the aircraft’s Honeywell TFE731-60 turbofans and APU.