Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday inaugurated the TATA-Airbus aircraft assembly facility complex in Vadodara. The facility will manufacture C-295 aircraft at the TATA Advanced Systems Limited campus.
PM Modi said that the C-295 facility represents the work culture of a new India.
"Recently, we lost the country's great son Ratan Tata ji. If he had been among us today, he would have been happy, but wherever his soul is, he would be happy. This C-295 aircraft factory reflects the new work culture of New India ... When I was the Gujarat CM, it was decided to set up a factory in Vadodara to build train coaches. The factory was also prepared for production within a record time. Today, we are exporting the metro coaches manufactured in that factory to other countries. I am confident that in the future, the aircraft made in this factory will also be exported to other countries," PM Modi said.
"Today the defence manufacturing ecosystem in India is touching new heights. If we had not taken concrete steps 10 years ago, it would have been impossible to reach this level today. At that time, no one could even imagine that there could be such large-scale defence manufacturing in India. But we decided to walk on the new path, set a new goal for ourselves. And today the result is before us," PM Modi added.
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez underlined the importance of the new industrial site.
Sanchez said, "Today we are not only officially inaugurating a cutting-edge industrial facility. Today we're also witnessing how an extraordinary project between two emblematic companies becomes a reality. Prime Minister Modi, this is another triumph of your vision. Your vision is to turn India into an industrial powerhouse and a magnet for investment and business. This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and will open new doors for the arrival of other European companies."
"Tata is probably the best exponent of Indian industrial strength. Its products and services are present in virtually every country on the planet. Tata is a giant among giants. As for Airbus, it embodies the very essence of a united Europe. Committed to technological innovation and the creation of jobs and prosperity. For my country, for Spain, being an integral part of the Airbus consortium, defending the values it represents. Values on which the very idea of Europe is based on cooperation, modernity and progress," Sanchez added.
During the inauguration of the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran announced the facility's goals.
"The final aircraft assembly complex for the first aircraft to be delivered is being set up here. I must commit to our Prime Minister that exactly two years from now we will deliver the first indigenously manufactured aircraft and we will request and we'll work with your office to block the date so that you can come and inaugurate the facility and receive the first product. The first 200 engineers from Tata Group are already in Spain going through the training that is required, and we have worked with 40 SME companies and we will be adding more companies to build the entire localisation that is required for the product," he said.
This collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) and Airbus Spain will mark India's first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military aircraft, boosting the nation's aerospace capabilities. The plant, located at TASL's Vadodara campus, is part of India's Rs 2.5 billion deal signed in 2021 to acquire 56 C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus. Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly from Spain, while the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India by TASL. This project will create a comprehensive ecosystem for aircraft development, covering assembly, testing, certification, and maintenance throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft. Major Indian defence players like Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), along with smaller enterprises, are also contributing to this project. The C-295 aircraft will strengthen India's Air Force fleet with a modern and more reliable transport solution.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi and Sanchez participated in a roadshow in Vadodara as they headed to inaugurate Tata Advanced Systems Ltd's facility.
