'Will fix timeframe for operating Boeing-MRO facility soon'

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today termed as "unacceptable" the delay in operationalisation of the much-touted Rs 800 crore aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) depot by Boeing in Mihan here.
The Minister today visited the site in the Multi Modal International Passenger and Cargo Hub (MIHAN), a composite project of airport, road terminal, rail terminal, SEZ and various other allied services, and also the taxiway which is under construction.
"I would get down to real business in Delhi by next week to finalise a firm timeline," Raju said after interacting with officials of Air India, the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC) and representative of the Boeing.

The MRO is a joint venture between Boeing and Air India.
The visit by the minister has assumed significance since the new BJP government in Maharashtra is led by the city legislator Devendra Fadnavis and the winter session of the state legislature is beginning next month.
Raju said that his Ministry will convene a meeting of all stake-holders within a week and get them to work out a timeframe to get the MRO facility going.

The project was conceived in 2004-05 but actual construction work started only in 2011.
"I was keen to see that there are no further delays in getting it (the project) started. Now, we are at the fag end of 2014 (and) that the project is still to start production is something I am worried about. I came to see the ground reality and assess the status. The Parliament session is beginning next week and if someone raises a question, I will have to answer it," the Minister said.

At one point he said that he was satisfied with the MRO unit as standalone, but quickly added that the integration work is lacking there.
"I also got a hang of the taxiway work which is 98 per cent complete but is stuck up in a local land dispute," Raju said.
The Boeing MRO project is billed as the most modern project in Asia, which could save huge amounts of foreign exchange and also time for operators of airlines.