Air India MRO facility in Mumbai

Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of aircraft is a Rs 3,000-crore industry in India. Can Air India's MRO facility in Mumbai, the only one in the country where heavy maintenance tests for civil aircraft are carried out, be leveraged to rescue the beleaguered carrier?

Heavy duty: A Boeing 777-200LR undergoing a 'heavy maintenance' check at an Air India hangar in Mumbai. This comprehensive check takes 30 to 40 days. Almost the entire aircraft is taken apart and overhauled

Double check: An engineer carries out a 'non-destructive' test, analysing aircraft material for defects. These tests are crucial to figure out the schedule for replacement of parts

Hi-tech: A GE 90-115B engine being checked at Air India's 'engine overhaul facility'. Its clients include GE, ILFC, GECAS, and P&W Engine Leasing

Close look: An engineer carries out a 'borescope inspection' of an aircraft engine. The instrument has an optical device which enables the engineer to see the inside of the engine and check crucial components

Open sesame: An A321 aircraft with its engine cowl flaps opened. Air India's 'engine overhaul facility' is spread over 25,000 sq ft and employs 400 engineers

Dwarfed: An engine on a Boeing 777 being examined. Engine maintenance accounts for 70 per cent of the total servicing an aircraft needs.

Nosy Parker: An engineer looking at the opened nose of a parked Boeing 737. The nose covers the aircraft's weather radar