Pointing out that there has been an unprecedented growth and transformation in India’s aviation sector in the past decade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said the ecosystem will pave the way for ‘Made in India civil aircraft’ in the future.

Speaking at the inauguration of TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat, PM Narendra Modi said “…All of you have witnessed unprecedented growth and transformation in India’s aviation sector in the last decade. We are already working to make India an aviation hub. This ecosystem will pave the way for Made in India civil aircraft in the future.”

He said various Indian airlines have placed orders for 1200 new aircraft, adding that this factory is going to play a major role in the design and manufacturing of civil aircraft to meet the future needs of India and the world.

Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at TATA advanced systems limited (TASL) Campus in Vadodara.

A total of 56 aircraft are there under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and remaining 40 are to be made in India. Tata Advanced Systems Ltd is responsible for making these 40 aircraft in India. This facility will be the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.

On the occasion, PM Modi said , “This is my friend Pedro Sanchez’s first visit to India. From today, we are giving a new direction to India and Spain’s partnership. We are inaugurating the production factory of C-295 aircraft. This factory will strengthen India-Spain relations as well as the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ mission …”

Remembering Late Ratan Tata, the Prime Minister said, “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…”

He 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, and set a new goal for ourselves. And today the result is before us… ”

He said India has expanded private sector participation in defence manufacturing, made the public sector efficient, converted the Ordnance Factories into seven big companies, strengthened DRDO and HAL, built two big defence corridors in UP and Tamil Nadu. Many such decisions filled the defence sector with new energy.

Praising Modi, Spanish PM Sanchez said this was another triumph of Modi’s vision.

“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,” he said.

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran paid tributes to Late Ratan Tata, saying, “…I will fail in my duty if I forget to mention that this project was originally conceived more than a decade ago, in 2012, by the then Tata Sons Chairman, Ratan Tata Ji, who led the whole concept to build a relationship with Airbus and created this partnership with Airbus and laid the foundation stone for this opportunity. So I would like to remember him for his visionary leadership in this very path-breaking initiative. It is a historic moment not only for the Tata Group but also for India…”