Air Works celebrates 13th International Line Maintenance Day

02 Jan 2024

Today, on our 13^th International Line Maintenance Day, we are delighted to share excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Ramarao Perwala, who’s the Business Lead for Air Works’ International Line Maintenance Services

1. Please introduce yourself including your experience & expertise?

I’ve been Air Works now for over 11 years. Having joined the organization in 2012. I began my innings as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) or certifying staff, after which I graduated to become a Trainer, and eventually, a Team Leader. As part of my current responsibilities as the Business Lead for the International Line maintenance practice at Air Works, I am responsible for managing our service delivery and client relationships, together with a highly skilled pan-India network team at 20 international airports. As part of my role, I undertake regular audits as well as address any findings that emerge, to ensure that Air Works continues to be regarded as a valuable partner by our demanding global customers, who expect nothing but the very best in terms of support & reliability from a partner that is safe, professional, and a compliant Maintenance organization.

2. Of what significance is International Line Maintenance Day at Air Works?

Today – 02^nd January 2024 is the 13^th Anniversary of Air Works’ International Line Maintenance services. It’s a very special day for the entire team and in fact for everyone in the organization as it was on this day in 2011, that Air Works certified its very first flight from our first Line station at Trichy Airport, on behalf of Tiger Air (now, Scoot) – our very first customer – who, by the way, continues to be one till date!

Our business and relationships have come a long way since then, where today Air Works is India’s biggest independent Line Maintenance Service Provider to international airlines and operators coming into India, with over 30 global customers, who rely on us to Fly Assured!

3. According to you, with the way Indian civil aviation is poised for growth, is International Line Maintenance (ILM) a fruitful career for upcoming aviation professionals?

With the industry’s projected growth, a career in aviation maintenance, over medium to long term, can not only be extremely fruitful but highly satisfying for the right person, not to mention bringing extensive opportunities worldwide. However, I say ‘right person’ because to truly shine in this domain, one needs to possess the right blend of technical and behavioral skills. One must have a passion and an aptitude for aviation. Some of the characteristics include patience, 24/7 availability, an adventurous outlook in life in order to adjust & adapt to new situations & locations, out-of-box-thinking and tenacity. This career is not for the faint-hearted!

4. What do you love most about your job?

Apart from my love for aviation, my biggest motivators include exciting and new challenges literally every day in the form of operational issues, where we are required to resolve both on proactive and reactive basis, at the earliest. The 24/7 nature of my profile keeps me alive and on the move. I enjoy being at the airport, involved in finding problems and then solving them, which brings immense satisfaction for me as well on our clients’ faces and which keeps the aviation chain running seamlessly globally. I also thrive in meeting amazingly qualified minds in this domain, some of which I’ve had the privilege to mentor and advise as a ‘Trainer’. The unexpected nature of this business keeps us humming, engaged, motivated and on the lookout for the next new challenge.

5. Is ILM a 24/7 job? How do you maintain a work-life balance and how do you think incoming professionals would view this? What sort of characteristics & attitude should a person possess or bring to the work, to shine in the stream?

It may/ may not be…while resolving a situation and getting an aircraft and hundreds of people moving is of utmost priority, there are times one may have to work nights or even under adverse weather to keep commercial aviation ticking. After all, if an engineer doesn’t certify an aircraft as airworthy, it can’t be deployed for operations! Hence, Engineering & maintenance becomes the very first step in this long chain of ensuring passengers reach their destinations on time, safely. By the way such challenges are strong catalysts in creating camaraderie and lifelong bonds, promoting cooperation and building mutual reliability or trust. Passion for Aviation is the first and most important criteria, aside from possessing a technical, learning mindset. The career is for bold, adventurous, curious people having persistence towards one’s work as well as an eye for detail.