Airbus to set up R&D Centre in India, sources $1 billion+ worth Indian components

Global aerospace giant, Airbus will soon set up an R&D Centre of Excellence at Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Gujarat. Jürgen Westermeier, MD at Airbus, informed Ashwini Vaishnaw that the company is sourcing $1 billion+ worth components from 100+ Indian suppliers.

Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Vaishnaw met Westermeier on Thursday to speak about Airbus' India presence.

According to the company website, Airbus contributes to India’s economic growth by sourcing over EUR 1 billion annually in components and services for global exports.



The aircraft maker has set up a Digital Centre in Bengaluru, terming it as the 'backbone' of Airbus’ Digital Transformation. The centre is currently the second largest Digital Centre after the one at the headquarters in Toulouse, France. In 2018, Airbus expanded its Digital capabilities in India by establishing a Global Capability Centre (GCC) to support all divisions worldwide.

The company has employed over 3600 employees across its various sites, including over 1500 skilled IT professionals to deliver IT solutions to the business. It also partners with premier Indian institutes for R&D.

Airbus' local footprint in sourcing, engineering, innovation, maintenance and training services is a testament to our commitment to developing the local ecosystem, the global firm said in a statement. Calling India a strategic resource hub for emerging technologies, Airbus says that India has "world-class talent and research and development that powers the aerospace sector."