PM Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Spain, Mr Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurates TATA Aircraft Complex in Vadodara, Gujarat, to manufacture C-295 aircraft

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. Pedro Sanchez, together inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at the TATA Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) Campus in Vadodara, Gujarat, today. Both Prime Ministers also did a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said it is the first visit to India for Mr Pedro Sanchez as Prime Minister of Spain, and today the two nations are trying to find a new direction for the partnership. Addressing the inauguration of the TATA Aircraft Complex to manufacture C-295 aircraft, the Prime Minister said that this will not only further deepen relations between the two nations but also give momentum to the mission of 'Make in India, Make for the World'. Shri Modi wished the entire Airbus and TATA team on this occasion. The Prime Minister paid his tributes to the Late Shri Ratan Tata ji. He said that the factory of the C295 aircraft is the epitome of the new work culture of New India and that the pace of India from the idea to the execution of any project in the country is visible here. Referring to the laying of the foundation stone of the factory in October 2022, the Prime Minister said the facility is now ready for the production of C295 aircraft. Referring to the stress on the elimination of unaccounted delays in planning and project execution, the Prime Minister said that during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Bombardier Train Coach manufacturing facility was installed in Vadodara which was completed in record time for production. "Metro Coaches made in this factory are being exported to other nations today", he added.

Shri Modi expressed confidence that the aircraft made in today's inaugurated facility would also be exported.

Quoting the famous Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, the Prime Minister said, "As we start treading towards the goal, the path towards the goal is created automatically.". Noting that India's defense manufacturing ecosystem was scaling new peaks today, Shri Modi said if concrete steps were not taken ten years ago then it would have been impossible to reach this destination today. He added that ten years ago, the priority and identity of defense manufacturing were about imports, and nobody could imagine that defense manufacturing could take place on such a large scale in India.

The Prime Minister said that the government decided to tread a new path and set new goals for India, whose results are visible today.

The Prime Minister said that the transformation of the defense sector in India is an example of how the right plan and partnership can turn possibilities into prosperity. He underlined that strategic decisions have spurred the growth of a vibrant defense industry in India over the last decade. "We increased private sector participation in defense manufacturing, made public sector units more efficient, restructured ordnance factories into seven major companies, and empowered DRDO and HAL," said Shri Modi. He said setting up of defense corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu infused new energy into the sector. Under the iDEX scheme, the Prime Minister said it helped develop around 1,000 defense startups in the last five years. In the last decade alone, India's defense exports have gone up 30 times, and the country has become a supplier of equipment to over 100 nations.

He said that projects like the Airbus-Tata factory will create thousands of jobs. He said that the factory will support indigenous manufacturing of 18,000 aircraft parts, providing immense opportunities for MSMEs across India.". Noting that India is one of the biggest suppliers of parts for the world's major aircraft companies even today, Shri Modi said the new aircraft factory would give a big boost to new skills and new industries in India. The Prime Minister underlined that he was looking at today's program beyond the manufacturing of transport aircraft. He noted that over the last ten years, India's aviation industry has experienced unparalleled growth and transformation. Shri Modi mentioned that India was not only connecting hundreds of small cities to the air grid but also aspiring to make India a hub for aviation and the MRO domain. He further mentioned that this ecosystem will provide an impetus for civil aircraft Made in India to emerge in the future.

Adding, there are 1200 orders from various Indian Airlines of new aircraft; Shri Modi further stated that it is not merely for manufacturing from the designing of civil aircraft but is also to cater to the coming needs of India and across the globe.
Shri Modi informed that MSME has held dominance over Vadodara city; thus, in return, Shri Modi also states this city will become the spark for such steps adopted by India. He further said that the city also had a Gatishakti University, which was preparing professionals for different sectors of India. The Prime Minister further stated that there were many companies related to many sectors like the pharma sector, engineering and heavy machinery, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, and Power and Energy Equipment in Vadodara. He said that now this whole region was also going to be a major hub of aviation manufacturing in India. Shri Modi congratulated the Government of Gujarat and its Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his entire team for their modern industrial policies and decisions.

Noting that Vadodara was also an important cultural city of India, Shri Modi said he was elated to welcome all his friends from Spain. "The cultural connection between India and Spain has its importance," said the Prime Minister. He also said that Father Carlos Valle hails from Spain and went to Gujarat and spent his fifty years of life. Adding further, he said Father Valle had enriched the culture with his thoughts and writings. Shri Modi said that he was so fortunate to have met Father Valle and that the Government of India rewarded him for his excellent service with a Padma Shri award.

Shri Modi observed that yoga is very much in vogue even in Spain and Spanish football is well-liked in India. Remarking on the football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona clubs which was held yesterday, Shri Modi said that this great victory of Barcelona is in discussion back home in India too, and the passion of both clubs is the same in India as it is in Spain. Throwing light on India and Spain's multilateral partnership, the Prime Minister said, "From food to films to football, our robust people-to-people connection has always made our relationships grow stronger." Shri Modi expressed happiness that India and Spain have decided to celebrate 2026 as the India-Spain Year of Culture, Tourism, and AI.

In the conclusion of his speech, the Prime Minister of India was sure that this event of the day would bring forth many new opportunities for cooperation between India and Spain. He invited Spanish industry and innovators and asked them to come to India to be partners on the path of the development journey.
On the occasion, the Governor of Gujarat, Shri Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Defence, Shri Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for External Affairs, Shri S Jaishakar, among others, were also present. Background

Under the C-295 program, there is a total of 56 aircraft to be delivered, of which 16 will be delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and the rest 40 aircraft are to be manufactured in India.
Tata Advanced Systems Ltd will manufacture these 40 aircraft in India. This facility will be the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India. It will encompass the complete development of a full ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, testing, and qualification to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.
Other than Tatas, big defense PSUs like Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd., as well as private Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are going to contribute to this program. In October 2022, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara FAL.