India Pivotal in Evolution of Aerospace Industry

It was a packed hall for ‘India’s Time to Fly’ summit on aerospace innovation, manufacturing and skill development hosted by The Boeing Company and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay that brought together all the stakeholders from the aviation sector on how to make India a leader in aerospace in the second century of aviation.

Boeing organised the summit in collaboration with IIT Bombay as part of Boeing’s centennial celebration. Participants included government officials, industry leaders, academia and research institutions. It showcased the ideas and innovations that are changing the industry and the people in the Indian aerospace industry who are creating them.

The summit included an area where Boeing displayed fullscale mock-ups of the Integrator UAV and SHARC unmanned marine vehicle, as well as interactive displays that highlighted partnerships with Indian firms manufacturing aircraft components under Boeing’s support for the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

In the milestone 99th year of Boeing, W. James (Jim) McNerney Jr, Chairman, The Boeing Company, said India is poised to play a pivotal role in the evolution of the global aerospace industry. “This is our strategy. We have been in the country for last 75 years, we flew with Tatas 75 years ago. The Indian market is too important for anybody to ignore. Indian capability is very high. Manufacturing in India is the commitment we have expressed to the Indian Government”.

Boeing is eyeing India’s civil aviation sector, which is likely to expand at a phenomenal pace in the country in the coming years. According to estimates, Indian aviation sector will need around 1,800 new passenger aircraft in the coming years and according to Jim McNerney, Boeing is manufacturing low-cost and highly fuel-efficient passenger aircraft that will definitely attract the Indian airlines.

Speaking at the opening of ‘India’s Time to Fly’ aerospace innovation summit in New Delhi, McNerney, said: “We live in a world that’s demanding more for less. Companies like Boeing are always on the lookout for the competitive advantages that come with innovative new technologies and long-term partnerships. India, with its broad, deep engineering capability and skilled workforce, is a natural partner that offers us the long-term opportunities that can differentiate us in the marketplace and bring mutual success to the company and the country.”

McNerney also expressed admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. “In the past few months, we have seen the country evolve. The ‘Make in India’ initiative has given added impetus to companies like ours to look towards the future with optimism. Prime Minister Modi has initiated a host of reforms pushing in the right direction, which I’m sure will lead to development and advancement in the region. Prime Minister Modi’s business meetings in the United States attracted the who’s who of the US corporate world and there was not a single US CEO interested in India who was not there. The discussions in the meetings were real.”

Extracts from the summit:

The Minister responding to SP’s questions, said: “On the front of civil aviation, we are happy to promote any new airlines. We would always encourage anything which has role for aviation, as aviation does impact economy.” On being asked about the regulations, he mentioned, “we would like to be and we have to be more transparent.” on answering a question about the controversial 5/20 rule (the 5/20 rule bars domestic airlines from flying overseas unless they have completed five years of domestic flying and have a fleet of 20 aircraft), he stated, “I am yet to come across a country which has such as rule. According to me, I feel this rule has to go. The decision is currently with the cabinet.”

—P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister for Civil Aviation

“We have to create an ecosystem to make the Indian middle class fly at least once a year. as of now they are flying once in three years. We have goldmine lying untapped! India has 431 airstrips out of which just 90 are operational for commercial aviation. We shall revitalise these assets and provide facilities from the Government (Central Government) and shall also encourage the State Governments towards the optimum utilisation of over 300 airstrips. India needs 100 more small aircraft within oneand-a-half years for enabling the regional connectivity.”

—Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation

“Make India the simplest place to do business in! India has already marked its presence as one of the fastest growing economies of the world. It has been ranked among the top three attractive destinations for inbound investments. India is pegged to be a bigger manufacturing base than the United States in coming times. While the global FDI is down, we see a 48 per cent growth in FDI, post the ‘Make in India’ initiative by the government.”

—Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion