Airbus board members concluded their four-day visit to India on Thursday, which also marked the first meeting since the aircraft maker started operations here more than 60 years ago.
The board led by Chairman Rene Obermann met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the capital on Tuesday.
Obermann also held discussions with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on investments and other issues.
The board visited Tata Advanced Systems Ltd’s component manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and also its supplier Dynamatic Technologies’ facility in Bengaluru.
Pointing out that India offers tremendous opportunities, Goyal said in a post on X, “Also, encouraged their plans to further deepen collaboration and increase investments in India, a testament to the strength and potential of India’s aerospace sector.”
India is a significant market for Airbus in civil aviation and defence segments as it already sources more than $1.4 billion worth of services and components from the country.
An Airbus spokesperson, quoted by PTI, stated on September 25 that the board’s visit represents a significant milestone, emphasising India’s importance as a critical hub for global operations. “We have already crossed the milestone of sourcing over $1.4 billion in components and services annually. We are on track to significantly increase that figure, as we continue to further integrate India into our global value chain.”
The spokesperson also said that Airbus’ investments in India are deepening across the board, from growing engineering and digital centres in Bengaluru, which are integral to its worldwide operations, to expanding its industrial footprint.
Airbus is also setting up two Final Assembly Lines (FAL) for the H125 helicopters in Vemagal, Karnataka, as well as the C295 military aircraft is being established in Vadodara, Gujarat. Both FALs are being set up with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd.
IndiGo and Air India together have placed orders for more than 1,000 planes with Airbus.
In March, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said their annual sourcing of components and services from India will touch $2 billion before 2030.