Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) has bagged a contract from Airbus to manufacture cargo and bulk cargo doors for the A320neo aircraft family.
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Each shipset will comprise two cargo doors and one bulk cargo door. The doors will be produced at a new facility in Hyderabad using cutting-edge robotics and automation technology, TASL said. Airbus SVP Aerostructure Procurement Olivier Cauquil and TASL VP and Head of Aerostructure and Aero-Engines Masood Hussainy signed the contract on Wednesday in Hyderabad.
Airbus said the contract is a significant step towards increasing its competitiveness in the single-aisle aircraft market and supporting the ramp-up of the A320 programme. Stating that every Airbus commercial aircraft and every Airbus helicopter has critical technologies and systems designed, manufactured and maintained in India, the aerospace major said it presently procures components and services worth $735 million every year from more than 100 Indian suppliers.
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“The latest contract underlines our continued commitment to ‘Make-in-India’. In TASL, we have a most trusted and able partner that will support ramp-up of our A320neo family aircraft... continue to grow our industrial footprint and the aviation and aerospace ecosystem at a fast pace in India,” said Remi Maillard, president and MD of Airbus India and South Asia.
In addition, Airbus will build the C295 military aircraft final assembly line with TASL in Gujarat, which it said is the first concrete, large-scale Make-in-India manufacturing aerospace programme in the private sector. “Together with our supply chain, Airbus supports nearly 10,000 jobs in India today. By 2025, this number should rise to about 15,000. On top of this, the C295 military aircraft programme will lead to creation of 25,000 direct and indirect jobs over 10 years,” Airbus said.
TASL MD and CEO Sukaran Singh said the new contract win will bolster the partnership, with Airbus, for aerospace manufacturing in India.