Modi, Spanish PM Sanchez inaugurate Tata’s aircraft manufacturing facility after Vadodara roadshow

VADODARA, OCT 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated Tata’s Airbus aircraft assembly facility complex here on Monday. The facility–India’s first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military aircraft–will manufacture C-295 aircraft at the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) campus.

Speaking at the event, Modi said that the C-295 facility represents the work culture of a new India, while Sanchez announced that the first aircraft from the Tata group’s facility will be manufactured in 2026.

“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.

The Spanish Prime Minister also underlined the importance of the new industrial site and labelled the Tata group a “giant among giants.”

“Today, we are not only officially inaugurating a cutting-edge industrial facility…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,” Sanchez said.

“Tata is probably the best exponent of Indian industrial strength. Its products and services are present in virtually every country on the planet… For my country, for Spain, being an integral part of the Airbus consortium, defending the values it represents… which the very idea of Europe is based on cooperation, modernity, and progress,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran announced the facilities goals, asserting that the first indigenously manufactured aircraft will be delivered in two years time.

“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…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.

Narendra Modi and Pedro Sanchez with Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran visit the Tata Aircraft Complex after its inauguration in Vadodara, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.

Narendra Modi and Pedro Sanchez with Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran visit the Tata Aircraft Complex after its inauguration in Vadodara, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.Photo | PTI

Prior to the event, Modi and Sanchez held a roadshow in Vadodara city as they travelled in an open jeep and greeted people standing on both sides of the route. Both the PMs waved at the crowd gathered along the 2.5-km stretch of the route from the airport to the Tata aircraft complex in the city.

Modi and Sanchez were greeted with performances by various artists showcasing India’s rich culture as they proceeded towards the Tata Advanced Systems facility here. Following the inauguration, both leaders will head to the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace to hold a bilateral meeting.

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 aviation behemoth Airbus. Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara final assembly line in October 2022.

Under the agreement, as many as 40 aircraft will be built in the Vadodara facility as part of an agreement, while Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly.

Tata Advanced Systems is responsible for making these 40 aircraft in India and the facility will be the first private sector final assembly line for military planes in India. It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft.

Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units, such as Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small and medium enterprises, will contribute to this programme.

-PTI