Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will witness the passenger aircraft that will be made with the tag of ‘Make in India’. He laid a foundation stone on Sunday for the joint manufacturing facility of the Airbus and TATA Consortium of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) led by TASL.

Speaking on the occasion Modi said that the manufacturing unit will cater for the export of the premier transport aircraft as well as for additional orders by the Indian Air Force. The facility will manufacture C-295 medium transport planes for the Indian Air Force, the first time that the C-295 aircraft will be manufactured outside of Europe and by a private company. The total cost of the project is Rs 21,935 crore.

The Gujarat government is committed to boosting local economy & employment
through manufacturing. Tata & Airbus groups will be manufacturing planes in a unit
at Vadodara whose foundation stone is being laid by the Hon’ble PM.#Vadodara4Vikaspic.twitter.com/egoAeNYZxy pic.twitter.com/cgm2U7RG0N

— Vijay Mishra (@VijayMi50348369) October 30, 2022

The transport aircraft that will be manufactured here will not only give power to our Armed forces but also develop a new ecosystem of manufacturing aircraft, he said. Now, India is one of the fastest-developing aviation sectors. We are soon to enter the list of the top three nations in terms of air traffic. In the coming 10-15 years, India will require over 2000 passenger and cargo aircraft. This reflects how fast we’ll be developing, Modi added.

Over 100 MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) spread over seven states will be linked to this project, he also said. Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain within four years and the subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured in India.

The first 16 fly-away aircraft are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025. The first Made in India aircraft is expected in September 2026 and the remaining 39 will have to be produced by August 2031. Every year, a total of 8 aircraft will be produced at the facility. There are 34 other countries which operate the C-295 aircraft. Till date, more than 200 aircraft have been delivered. The aircraft can be used for civilian purposes as well.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel attended the ceremony.