Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the Tata-Airbus C295 aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, on Monday. This Vadodara facility aims to boost India’s position in the global aerospace industry and reduce dependency on foreign military equipment. The facility is a collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) and Airbus Spain. It is the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.
President Sanchez, on a three-day visit to India, arrived in Vadodara early on Monday. Let us tell you that this is the first by a Spanish PM to India in 18 years. On arrival, he was welcomed by the PM Modi, followed by a roadshow where the two leaders waved to the crowds gathered on the streets from the airport to the TASL campus.
India’s order of 56 C295 aircrafts
India has ordered 56 C295 transport aircraft from Airbus in 2021 among which 40 will be produced at the newly inaugurated Tata-Airbus C295 facility, part of India’s C-295 military aircraft program. The remaining 16 aircraft will be manufactured and delivered directly from airbus in Spain, fulfilling India’s order. The first aircraft from the Tata plant is expected to be ready by 2026. This assembly line includes a full ecosystem, including manufacturing, assembly, testing, certification, and lifecycle maintenance, furthering India’s goals of self-reliance in defense production.
Along with Tata, major Indian public sector units like Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd., as well as various private small and medium enterprises, will join hands for the program. Prime Minister Modi also emphasized the project’s importance in advancing India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision and Make in India initiative, highlighting it as a step toward bolstering the country’s defense infrastructure.
Collaborations between Indian and Spanish entertainment industries
After the inauguration event, the two leaders are expected to visit the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace, where they will hold a bilateral meeting organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and later have lunch together before continuing with their respective schedules. President Sanchez is also scheduled to visit Mumbai on Tuesday, engaging with trade and industry leaders and participating in the Spain-India Forum organized by the Spain-India Council Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation. He also plans visit several film studios to explore collaborations between the Indian and Spanish entertainment industries, fostering cultural and economic ties.