Titan Aviation backs out, but hopes continue

Ongole: Titan Aviation and Aerospace India Limited (TAAIL) of the Titan group has backed out of the much-hyped project in Prakasam district, the aircraft servicing and manufacturing industry unit at Donakonda industrial corridor. However, hopes are continuing as the partner of TAAIL and Russian aviation industry giant, Antonov wants to carry on the project with few modifications and is planning to visit the chief minister in the last week of this month.

• The Titan Group established Titan Aviation and Aerospace India Limited (TAAIL) and signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board to setup the first aircraft servicing and manufacturing industry in India at Donakonda industrial corridor
• Due to several reasons, the proposal was limited to identification of land and its surveying and didn’t move much ahead later

The Titan Group, which has DRDO, MIDHANI, DRDL, ISRO, NFC, BHEL, DMRL, HEMRL in its clientele since 2001, established TAAIL and signed a MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board to setup the first aircraft servicing and manufacturing industry in India at Donakonda industrial corridor.

Its partners included Russian and Ukraine aviation, servicing and training companies including Antonov, Motor Sich, MI, Russian Helicopters, Yuzhmash, AVIA and others. The company wanted 6000 acres of land in which a 5-kilometre runway is expected to be built for the landing and take-off of aeroplanes. Due to several reasons, the proposal was limited to identification of land and its surveying and didn’t move much ahead later. Now the promoting company of TAAIL, the Titan Group has backed off from the project and informed the same to its partners.

Considering the support from the state government, minister Siddha Raghava Rao and the district collector V Vinay Chand in the recent meeting, the Russian companies including Antonov, Motor Sich, AVIA, Russian Helicopters wanted to take the project ahead but without the Titan Group. However, they are excluding the manufacturing and servicing of defence helicopters made by MI and limiting to civil aviation only.

A senior management official with the new team said, “We are planning to name the company as Amaravati Aviation and Aerospace India Limited or Antonov Aviation and Aerospace India Limited, depending on the decision of the major collaborator, Antonov.

Now we need not require about 6000 acres as a single chunk of land but needed a bit of 2500 acre for 2.5km runway, hangers, servicing and manufacturing of aeroplanes, a bit of 1000 acres for manufacturing and servicing of helicopters and a bit of 500 to 600-acre land for the training complex, golf course and hotel facility for the trainees.

We are going to manufacture Antonov 148, 158 and 178 models with capacity of 80 to 100 seating capacity. The Antonov is also in partnership with the Kazan Helicopters to make 20 seating capacity helicopters that fly in all types of atmospheric conditions.”

With the previous experience with the government departments, the investors think it is best if the government could appoint an officer to coordinate with all departments. The officer said, “We are going to invest about USD 8000 million in this company and will be ready to deposit a portion of it with the government to make the process speedy.

But we do suggest the government to appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the departments like APEDB, APIIC, revenue, minister office, CM Office and collectorate. If the government appoints the collector as the nodal officer, as he is the head of revenue department, it will be
very helpful.”