National carrier Air India, which will soon be merged with Indian Airlines, may partner Cochin International Airport for setting up an airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul facility near the Kochi airport, Kerala.

Air India chairman and managing director Vasudevan Thulasidas confirmed the development, adding, "We have already submitted an expression of interest for a MRO facility at Kochi". CIAL executives could not be reached for comments.

Air India has already tied up with the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company to set up an MRO at Nagpur, Maharashtra.

"At Kochi, Air-India would be the financial investor as well as the technical partner. Interestingly, Air-India has a minority stake of 3.38 per cent in CIAL," sources told Business Standard.

CIAL has appointed Aerobiz International, an aviation consultancy organisation, as consultant to implement the project.

Aerobiz International's expertise covers a wide spectrum of aviation activities, including major maintenance of narrow body and wide body aircraft, engines, components, infrastructure and training.

According to industry analysts, over 50 per cent of the fleet in India will be in the narrow-body segment (Boeing 737 and Airbus 319/320/321). "CIAL would initially provide facilities for the narrow body aircraft and later would graduate into the wide body segment," the sources said.

CIAL has allotted 31.25 acres of land on nominal lease charges for the facility. This plot is adjacent to the operational area of the airport, and the construction of a taxi track, connecting the operational area to the MRO hangar, has already been planned and scheduled for completion by June 2008.

Meanwhile, Air India unveiled the refurbished Boeing 747-400 aircraft, first of the six aircraft to undergo a total makeover, which will operate to destinations in the US, including New York, Newark and Chicago.

Air-India has undertaken this major in-house cabin refurbishment and in-flight entertainment upgradation program for the first time.