Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain jointly take a walkthrough of the exhibition at the inauguration of Tata Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft in Vadodara today.
Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart from Spain, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the Tata Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) Campus here today. Both Prime Ministers also took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion.
Under the C-295 programme, a total of 56 aircraft are to be delivered out of which 16 are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and the remaining 40 are to be made in India.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited is responsible for making these 40 aircraft in India. This facility becomes the first private sector ‘Final Assembly Line’ (FAL) for military aircraft in India. It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the aircraft.
Apart from Tatas, leading defence public sector units such as Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited as well as private Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will contribute to this programme. Earlier in October 2022, the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara Final Assembly Line (FAL).
Modi referred to the foundation-stone laying ceremony of the factory in October 2022 and said that the facility was now ready for the production of C295 aircraft.
The Prime Minister underlined that the factory of C295 aircraft was a reflection of the new work culture of “New India” and said that India’s speed from idea to the execution of any project in the country can be witnessed here.
Noting the inauguration of the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft, Modi said it would not only strengthen the relations between India and Spain but also give momentum to the mission of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’. He conveyed his best wishes to the entire team of Airbus and TATA on the occasion and also paid his tributes to the late Ratan Tata. Modi expressed confidence that the aircraft made in today’s inaugurated facility would also be exported.
The Prime Minister said he was looking at today’s programme beyond the manufacturing of transport aircraft. Highlighting the unprecedented growth and transformation of India’s aviation sector in the last decade, he remarked that India was providing air connectivity to hundreds of small cities in the country, while simultaneously working to make India a hub of aviation and MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operations) domain. He added that this ecosystem will also pave the way for Made in India civil aircraft in the future. Noting that various Indian airlines have ordered 1200 new aircraft, he said that this only meant the newly inaugurated factory would play a major role, from designing to manufacturing civil aircraft to meet the needs of India and the world in the future.
Modi expressed happiness that India and Spain have decided to celebrate 2026 as the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism, and Artificial Intelligence. He expressed confidence that today’s event will inspire many new joint collaboration projects between India and Spain. He extended an invitation to the Spanish industry and innovators and encouraged them to come to India and become partners in the country’s development journey.
Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Defence, Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishakar were present on the occasion among others.
– global bihari bureau
