'Make in India': Airbus opens new 5,000-seater technology centre in Bengaluru
The new facility will serve as a hub for engineering, digital transformation, customer services and procurement, establishing a new nerve centre for the company’s ‘Make in India’ mission, Airbus said
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI) Aerospace major Airbus on Friday inaugurated a state-of-the-art technology centre in Bengaluru, marking a major expansion of its strategic footprint in India.
The new facility will serve as a hub for engineering, digital transformation, customer services and procurement, establishing a new nerve centre for the company’s ‘Make in India’ mission, Airbus said in a statement.
According to a company statement, the new 8,80,000 sq. ft facility --‘Airbus India Technology Centre’ -- inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Karnataka Minister of Industries and Infrastructure M B Patil is -- designed to accommodate about 5,000 employees, providing the necessary scale and headroom for the rapid growth Airbus envisions for the region.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu, who attended the event virtually, said Bengaluru has become the aviation, aerospace and defence manufacturing capital of the country. The inauguration of this grand Airbus campus further strengthens Bengaluru’s position as a global aviation hub.
"This campus represents the confidence of India and the confidence that the world has in India’s technological capabilities," he said.
Stressing that Bengaluru has rightfully become the capital of India’s aviation ecosystem, the civil aviation minister said that the Airbus Bengaluru campus will become the nerve centre of Airbus operations in India.
"Critical technologies in every Airbus aircraft and helicopter will be designed and developed by Indian engineers in Bengaluru," he added.
The company said that as Airbus’ largest engineering and digital centres outside Europe, the Bengaluru campus serves as the primary engine for Airbus’ 'Make in India' strategy.
Airbus has more than tripled its annual sourcing from India -- from USD 500 million in 2019 to over USD 1.5 billion today -- and is on track to exceed USD 2 billion well before the end of the decade, it said.
Jürgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director of Airbus in India and South Asia said, "This centre will allow us to scale existing technological competencies and innovation ecosystems while also addressing the customer services and procurement dimensions of our ‘Make in India’ mission. It ensures that Indian expertise continues to be woven into every stage of our global value chain." The campus also houses a dedicated customer services centre that provides critical support both locally and globally, it said.
"This centre offers tailored support programmes, flight hour services and comprehensive maintenance and technical support to Airbus customers around the world, ensuring operational excellence across the global fleet," the company added. PTI