Modi, Sanchez to Inaugurate TASL-Airbus Unit in Vadodara

Ahmedabad, Oct 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez will inaugurate Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL)-Airbus factory in Vadodara on October 28 and will also hold a bilateral meeting in that city, a release said.

The foundation stone of the manufacturing facility of transport aircraft C-295 was laid in October 2022 by Modi and the plant will be inaugurated by both leaders on the next Monday, a Gujarat government release said.

"Modi along with Sanchez will launch the ambitious Airbus project in Vadodara. This 'Make in India' initiative is designed to promote indigenous aircraft manufacturing. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for this project exactly two years ago on October 30, 2022, in Vadodara," it said.

The Tata-Airbus project will produce transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force, signalling a new era in aviation within the defence sector, it said.

"A vital bilateral meeting between the two Prime Ministers will also take place in Vadodara," it said.

The government release said that the Vadodara Municipal Corporation is making extensive preparations for the visit of both leaders.

In September 2021, India sealed a nearly Rs 21,000 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C-295 transport aircraft to replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the IAF under a project that entails manufacturing of military aircraft in India for the first time by a private company.

Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in 'fly-away' condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain within four years and the subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.