Spain Inaugurates First Private Military Aircraft Factory in India

Today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India's first private military aircraft factory as part of the country's growing defence and aerospace cooperation. Spanish Sanchez was greeted by hundreds of people waving banners in the streets of Vadodara, Gujarat, AP reports.

The two prime ministers inaugurated the Tata Aircraft Complex, which will produce Airbus C-295 military transport aircraft in collaboration with Airbus Spain, to be deployed by the Indian Air Force.

‘This new aircraft factory will foster new skills and new industries in India,’ Modi said.

‘In Vadodara, I held fruitful talks with the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr Pedro Sanchez. We took stock of the progress in Indo-Spanish relations in various fields. We want to give further impetus to our bilateral ties, especially in the areas of trade, culture, innovation, technology, etc.’, said the Indian Prime Minister.

He added that India currently supplies spare parts to the world's leading aircraft manufacturers.

Pedro Sanchez noted that the project was a triumph of Modi's vision ‘to turn India into an industrial centre and a magnet for investment and cooperation between enterprises’.

‘This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and open new doors for other European companies to enter,’ he added.