Deccan Aviation Ltd, India's leading helicopter charter firm, has set up a maintenance and overhauling facility in Karnataka to service Bell helicopters.
Bell Helicopter Textron and the Director General of Civil Aviation have certified Deccan Technical Services of Deccan Aviation to operate the Bell customer service facility set up at Jakkur aerodrome, 20 km from here.
It is the second such facility in India, the other being in Mumbai set up by Air Works.
The Rs.15-million new facility will maintain airframes and gear boxes, besides carrying out component overhaul of Bell 206 and 407 helicopters operating in South Asia, including India and the neighbouring countries.
The US-based $1.6-billion Bell has till date sold about 50 helicopters since its entry into India a decade ago. Currently, there are about 100-120 civilian copters operating across the country, mostly used by corporate houses, private airlines, public sector enterprises and government organisations.
Deccan Aviation currently operates nine helicopters in a mix of Bell and Eurocopter models including six to 12-seat long rangers.
Eurocopter is the other leading helicopter manufacturer vying with Bell for selling its products in the subcontinent where the market for civilian copters has picked up following the open sky policy.
Deccan Aviation chief executive G.R. Gopinath, who pioneered India's first low-cost no frills airliner Air Deccan, told reporters here Wednesday that in addition to Bell CSF tasks, the DTS would carry out maintenance and overhaul of wheels and brakes of turboprop ATR 42 series and Airbus A320 aircraft.
"This facility is an enhancement of Bell's earlier approval for carrying out field maintenance of its copters operating in South Asia, especially India."
Bell vice-president (Asia-Pacific) Max Wiley said: "With the civil aviation sector emerging as one of the drivers of the Indian economy, we see a huge potential for marketing our copters to public and private organisations.
"We consider India as an important market, next only to the US, with the prospects of tapping its growing services sector, especially heli-tourism, air ambulance and pilgrim centres for chartered trips," Wiley said.
--Indo-Asian News Service