Airbus and Tata Launch C295 Assembly Line in India

In a significant milestone for India’s aerospace and defense industry, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus have inaugurated the Final Assembly Line (FAL) complex for the Airbus C295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat.

This collaboration marks a pioneering step in the ‘Make in India’ initiative, with the aim of delivering 56 C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

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The facility was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, alongside notable figures such as N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, and Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. This event represents a major boost to the Government of India’s ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) program, being the first instance of the private sector establishing an aircraft FAL in the country.

The inauguration comes three years after the IAF formalized the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace its aging AVRO fleet. Under the contract, 40 units will be manufactured and assembled at this FAL in collaboration with TASL, while 16 aircraft will be delivered in ‘fly-away’ condition from Airbus’ final assembly line in Seville, Spain. So far, six aircraft have already been delivered.

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The newly inaugurated FAL will integrate the manufacturing of detail parts, sub-assemblies, major component assemblies, and related tooling. Production has already begun at the Main Component Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad, with components for the first C295 aircraft made in India shipped to the Vadodara FAL for assembly.

The first ‘Make in India’ C295 is scheduled to roll out from the Vadodara facility in September 2026, marking a significant milestone for the Indian aerospace sector. The plan is to ramp up production to deliver all 40 aircraft to the IAF by August 2031, as stipulated in the contract.

With this acquisition, India has become the largest customer for the C295, and the ‘Make in India’ program will enable the production of more than 85% of the structural components and final assembly of the 40 aircraft. Additionally, approximately 13,000 detail parts will be manufactured in India, involving 21 certified special processes and onboarding 37 suppliers from both the private and public sectors.

For Airbus, India represents a strategic resource hub where the company is expanding its industrial footprint. Airbus is investing over $1 billion annually into a robust supply chain in India, encompassing aircraft assembly, component manufacturing, engineering design, maintenance, and training, which has resulted in the creation of more than 15,000 jobs. Airbus India’s engineering and digital centers in Bengaluru also contribute significantly to the company’s commercial and helicopter programs globally.