Headlines
Airbus assures Modi $2 billion for 'Make in India'
Toulouse, April 11
Emphasising that each of
its A320 family of aircraft has a "Make in India" tag today, Airbus
Industrie told Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its huge campus here on
Saturday that it will step up its sourcing volume from the country to $2
billion.
One of the billboards, in fact, that greeted Prime
Minister Modi and his delegation said it all: That the total procurement
of Airbus from India stood at $400 million till last year, covering a
host of areas, and would now be enhanced to $2 billion by 2020.
"500
percent in five years," India's official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin
tweeted, as the Indian prime minister was taken around the assembly
line of the world's largest commercial aircraft, the giant A380 -- four
of which serve the Indian market currently.
"Amazing visit to
Airbus facility. They are very enthusiastic about the 'Make in India'
initiative," the prime minister eventually tweeted. He had arrived at
the campus straight after landing here from Paris on a Boeing 747-437
aircraft of 1996 vintage.
The occasion also saw the Airbus top
brass give its assessment on the need for aircraft by Indian carriers.
The country, it said, will require as many as 1,291 planes over the
next 20 year -- 913 in single-isle configuration, 322 twin-isled and 56
large ones.
"Every A320 family plane is now partly made in
India," read another large billboard, as the prime minister was taken on
the tour by a team led by Airbus Group chief executive Tom Enders, who
said his group was keen on forging a stronger industrial bond with
India.
"India already takes 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,"
Enders said.
A visibly pleased Modi was informed that the Airbus
procurement from India was set to grow further as it planed additional
manufacturing and engineering work packages with local firms and
accelerate their integration into the group's global supply chain.
Such
partnership, the group added, will extend to a host of areas such as
engineering, pilot training, customer services and maintenance, repair
and overhaul capability, or MRO, with Indian partners.
In India,
the $65-billion Airbus Group already operates two engineering centres:
One focused on civil aviation and the other on defence. It also has a
research and technology (R&T) centre which together employ over 400
highly qualified people.
It claims to be a significant part of the fleets of all major Indian carriers with a market share of well over 70 percent.
The
group said it counts as partners several Indian firms, notably the
state-run Hindustan Aeronautics, Mahindra Group, the Tatas, Wipro,
Larsen and Toubro, and Infosys Technologies.
"The group is also
willing to set-up final assembly lines and establish supply chains and
related infrastructure for military transport aircraft and helicopters
in the country," said an Airbus statement.
"These would be in
full compliance of procurement policies specified by the Indian Ministry
of Defence and local foreign direct investment guidelines," it said,
adding that it has submitted a proposal with the Tatas to make C295
aircraft in India to replace the navy's ageing fleet of Avros.
"Airbus
Helicopters is in discussion with Indian companies to finalise teaming
arrangements for helicopter programmes, including the naval utility
helicopter, the reconnaissance and surveillance helicopter as well as
the naval multi-role helicopter competitions."
Space is another
area in which the group has active collaborations in India, the group
said, as Modi was ready to leave for the campus of French space agency
CNES -- but not before a dozen-odd staff of Indian origin wanted photos
with Modi, who obliged.
The Indian prime minister was in Paris
first and then arrived here on Saturday on the first leg of his
three-nation visit that will now take him to Germany on Sunday and
thereafter to Canada.