Hyderabad | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated French major Safran's maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for LEAP engines that power commercial aircraft.

The Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI) facility in the city will be operational in 2026 and will be a major boost for the country's indigenous capabilities in the fast-growing aviation sector.

The facility, set up with an initial investment of Rs 1,300 crore, is for the LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines, which power the narrow-body Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

LEAP engines are manufactured by CFM International, an equal joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace.

India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and domestic carriers have placed orders for over 1,500 planes.

Designed to service up to 300 LEAP engines annually, SAESI facility will employ over 1,000 highly skilled Indian technicians and engineers upon achieving full operational capacity by 2035, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had said in a release on Tuesday.

It had also said that developing indigenous capabilities in MRO will reduce foreign exchange outflows, create high-value employment, strengthen supply-chain resilience and position India as a global aviation hub.