IndiGo, the largest airline in India, has finalized two significant agreements with the international aerospace company Thales to enhance its aircraft maintenance and digital flight operations. This collaboration encompasses an 11-year contract for the maintenance of avionics systems for more than 1,200 aircraft, as well as a distinct 5-year agreement to implement a paperless cockpit solution across its entire fleet.
11-Year Avionics Maintenance for 1,200+ Aircraft
As part of the 11-year contract, Thales will manage the upkeep of sophisticated avionics systems on IndiGo’s existing fleet of 430 Airbus A320s, in addition to over 800 more aircraft anticipated in the future. This arrangement provides access to Thales’s specialized repair services and a support program to ensure the availability of spare parts when necessary, thereby minimizing aircraft downtime and enhancing operational efficiency.
Repairs will take place at Thales’s newly established facility in Gurugram, located near Delhi airport. This center is outfitted with state-of-the-art tools to meet the increasing demand for avionics servicing in the region. Skilled technicians will carry out repairs that adhere to stringent safety and quality standards.
Five-Year Electronic Flight Bag Rollout
Moreover, IndiGo has renewed a 5-year contract with AvioBook, a subsidiary of Thales, to continue utilizing AvioBook Flight – a digital cockpit solution sanctioned by India’s aviation authority for fully paperless operations. Having been operational for over a year, this system facilitates more than 2,000 daily flights, contributing to the reduction of paper waste and the enhancement of flight operations.
IndiGo’s Senior Vice President of Engineering, Parichay Datta, expressed, “We’re pleased to expand our partnership with Thales as IndiGo continues to grow. This collaboration aligns with our objective of providing safe, reliable, and seamless travel experiences while also enhancing our technical capabilities.”
Thomas Got, Vice President at Thales, remarked, “This agreement with IndiGo underscores our commitment to supporting Indian airlines with superior services. Our new maintenance center in India enables us to deliver quicker and more reliable support as the aviation market in the country continues to expand.”
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in innovative technologies, offering solutions in Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. The company’s wide array of cutting-edge products and services is designed to tackle significant global challenges, including sovereignty, security, sustainability, and inclusion.
Strengthening India’s Aviation Ecosystem
With an annual investment exceeding €4 billion in Research & Development, Thales prioritizes the advancement of critical technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and cloud solutions, especially in high-stakes environments. The company operates with a workforce of over 83,000 employees across 68 countries and recorded €20.6 billion in sales in 2024.
Thales has had a presence in India since 1953, with its headquarters situated in Noida and operational offices in key cities such as Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The company employs over 2,200 individuals across India, including those involved in its joint ventures.
From the beginning, Thales has been instrumental in India’s advancement by imparting its knowledge and cutting-edge technologies across the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital domains. Thales runs two primary engineering competence centers in India: one located in Noida that concentrates on Cyber & Digital solutions, and another in Bengaluru that focuses on hardware, software, and systems engineering for both civil and defense sectors, catering to global markets.
Thales has also made a notable impact on India’s expanding aviation industry. The company supplies avionics and in-flight entertainment systems for various Indian civil aircraft and provides solutions aimed at bolstering airport security. Thales is currently developing a sophisticated Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system intended for drone operations. Furthermore, Thales has established a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Gurugram, delivering comprehensive avionics maintenance services to Indian airlines.
Repairs will be efficiently managed at Thales’s cutting-edge avionics MRO facility in Gurugram, India, conveniently located near the Delhi airport, which has been specifically designed to accommodate the rising demand for avionics support, featuring advanced technology to optimize repair processes and ensure high fleet availability. Thales’s expert technicians are proficient in maintaining intricate avionics systems, conducting repairs that adhere to stringent safety and regulatory standards.
IndiGo has also signed a 5-year contract with AvioBook, a subsidiary of Thales, for AvioBook Flight — the sole Electronic Flight Bag solution currently authorized for paperless operations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Deployed across the entire IndiGo fleet for more than a year, AvioBook Flight has already made considerable strides in reducing paper consumption annually, thereby promoting environmental sustainability objectives and enhancing operational efficiency on over 2,000 flights daily.
For all aviation-related guidance (DGCA ground classes, pilot training, cabin crew training)
Contact us https://contrail.in/
phone numbers +91 78457 69399