In a major boost to aerospace and defence industry development in the state, France-based Airbus group has expressed interest in establishing a greenfield helicopter manufacturing facility in Gujarat at an estimated cost of £280 million. Senior government officials said, "The company, a global leader in aerospace industry, is interested in setting up a production unit in Gujarat. Although the company is among the top aircraft manufacturers in the world, a helicopter project is on its mind as far as Gujarat is concerned."
Senior authorities met with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other officials last week. Sources revealed that Airbus intends to make its own investment of 100 million euros for the factory and another 300 million euros will be pumped in by the company's suppliers and vendors. "We have proposed multiple projects to kickstart a defence focused industrial ecosystem in the country, including an offer to build the C295W military transport aircraft alongside Tata, and a partnership with Mahindra Defence to locally manufacture military helicopters," stated Airbus on its website.
The giant's land requirement includes 900 acres for building the factory and another 1,000 acres for its suppliers, vendors and township purposes. The western state has recently emerged as a preferred destination for defence projects. Corporate companies such as Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company, Reliance Helicopters, and Asteria Aerospace Pvt Ltd among others have been granted industrial licences to make helicopters and defence related items in the state.
