Prime Ministers Modi and Sanchez inaugurate TATA-Airbus aircraft assembly facility in Vadodara

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the TATA-Airbus aircraft assembly facility in Vadodara on Monday, marking a significant step in India's defence manufacturing capabilities. The new facility will produce C-295 aircraft as part of the TATA Advanced Systems Limited campus.

During the ceremony, PM Modi highlighted the facility's importance, stating that it symbolises a new work culture for India. He paid tribute to Ratan Tata, expressing that the establishment would have made him proud.

Modi recalled his time as Chief Minister of Gujarat when he initiated a project for manufacturing train coaches in Vadodara, emphasising the factory's successful export of metro coaches to other countries. He expressed confidence that the aircraft produced at this new facility would follow a similar path.

"Today, the defence manufacturing ecosystem in India is touching new heights," Modi said. He noted that concrete steps taken over the past decade have made large-scale defence manufacturing in India a reality, something that seemed impossible in the past.

Prime Minister Sanchez commended the partnership between TATA and Airbus, emphasising its potential to transform India's aerospace industry.

He acknowledged Modi's vision of positioning India as an industrial powerhouse and a destination for global investment. Sanchez remarked that this collaboration would pave the way for further engagement from European companies.

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran outlined the goals for the facility, stating, "We will deliver the first indigenously manufactured aircraft exactly two years from now." He confirmed that the initial group of 200 Tata engineers is already in Spain for training, while collaborations with 40 small and medium enterprises are underway to ensure localisation of production.

This assembly line will be India's first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft, enhancing the nation’s aerospace capabilities. The project is part of a Rs 2.5 billion deal signed in 2021 for the procurement of 56 C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus.

Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft from Spain, while the remaining 40 will be assembled in India. The initiative will create a robust ecosystem for aircraft development, encompassing assembly, testing, certification, and maintenance.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Sanchez participated in a roadshow in Vadodara before the inauguration, underscoring the significance of this collaboration in strengthening India's defence capabilities and enhancing its position in the global aerospace market.