Airbus : Commits to ‘Make in India’ During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit to Toulouse

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the Airbus production facilities in Toulouse today where he was received by Airbus Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Enders as well as other members of the Airbus Group Executive Committee.

"We are honoured to host Prime Minister Modi in Toulouse and convey to him our desire to forge a stronger industrial bond with India," said Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders. "India already takes a centre-stage role in our international activities and we want to even increase its contribution to our products. We support Prime Minister Modi's 'Make in India' call and are ready to manufacture in India, for India and the world."

Tom Enders was joined by Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier, Airbus Defence and Space CEO Bernhard Gerwert and Airbus Helicopters CEO Guillaume Faury. In India, Airbus Group already operates two engineering centres - one focused on civil aviation and the other on defence - and a research & technology (R&T) centre which together employ over 400 highly qualified people. During the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the Group's senior representatives conveyed their decision to expand these centres so that they can take on comprehensive design responsibilities for future Airbus Group programmes.

Airbus aircraft form a significant part of the fleets of all major Indian carriers and with well over 70 per cent market share; it is India's aircraft of choice. Prime Minister Modi was given a tour of the A380 Final Assembly Line. Currently, four daily A380 flights serve India. With much larger markets waiting to be tapped, the potential for the A380 to help Indian carriers win greater international market share with a flagship aircraft is enormous.

Prime Minister Modi also attended a presentation of Airbus' supplier network in India followed by an interaction with representatives of some of the key local Airbus partners. In 2014, Airbus' procurement from India stood at over $400 million from around 40 companies (public and private) which together support more than 5,000 jobs locally. The top three procurement areas have been in engineering & IT services, aero-structures, and detailed parts & systems. The Prime Minister was informed that procurement from the country is set to grow further as the Group plans to award additional manufacturing and engineering work packages to local companies, which will accelerate their integration into the Group's global supply chain.

The Group is willing to set-up final assembly lines and establish supply chains and related infrastructure for military transport aircraft and helicopters in the country. These would be in full compliance of the procurement policies specified by the Indian Ministry of Defence and local Foreign Direct Investment guidelines.

Airbus Defence and Space has submitted a joint proposal with Tata to produce the modern C295 aircraft in India as a replacement for the ageing Avro aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

The Division also plans to develop and manufacture electronic sensors with a partner in India, and has advanced discussions to support Hindustan Aeronautics' combat aircraft programmes.

Airbus Helicopters is in discussion with Indian companies to finalise teaming arrangements for various helicopter programmes, including the Naval Utility Helicopter, the Reconnaissance & Surveillance Helicopter as well as the Naval Multi-Role Helicopter competitions.

Additionally, both sides use each other's launchers to put satellites into orbit. The most recent example was the launch of Airbus Defence and Space's SPOT 7 satellite aboard ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in June 2014. Airbus Group is confident links with Indian industry in the space sector will grow in the coming years through the cooperation on design and manufacturing of larger telecommunication satellites in India.

Airbus Group is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2014, the Group - comprising Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus Helicopters - generated revenues of € 60.7 billion and employed a workforce of around 138,600.