Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu said India is progressing towards a future where citizens will fly in ‘Made in India’ civil aircraft as the country’s aerospace manufacturing ecosystem expands. Highlighting the Airbus-Tata C-295 programme, he said the initiative reflects the success of Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Key Highlights
- Rammohan Naidu says India is moving towards manufacturing its own civil aircraft.
- The Airbus-Tata C-295 programme is strengthening India’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities.
- Forty C-295 aircraft will be assembled at Tata’s Vadodara facility under the Make in India initiative.
- The project is expected to boost India’s aerospace ecosystem, including future MRO infrastructure.
New Delhi, july 20: Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu has said India is steadily moving towards an era where its citizens will travel in ‘Made in India’ civil aircraft, as the country’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities continue to expand under the Make in India initiative. The minister made the remarks while highlighting the successful production of the India-made Airbus C-295 tactical transport aircraft, describing it as a major milestone in India’s aviation and defence manufacturing journey.
Sharing his experience after visiting the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Naidu said the state-of-the-art production line reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He noted that the expanding aerospace manufacturing ecosystem is laying the foundation for India to eventually design and manufacture indigenous civil aircraft for domestic and global markets.
The Airbus-Tata C-295 programme is the first project in which a complex military transport aircraft is being manufactured in India by the private sector. The initiative is being executed under the government’s Make in India programme through a $2.6 billion agreement signed in 2021 for the procurement of 56 C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Under the agreement, 16 aircraft are being delivered in flyaway condition from Spain, while the remaining 40 aircraft are being manufactured and assembled at the TASL Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, Gujarat. The programme represents a significant transfer of technology and manufacturing capability, strengthening India’s indigenous aerospace industrial base.
The country’s aerospace ecosystem is also expected to receive a further boost with the development of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities at the upcoming Dholera Airport in Gujarat, which will support the C-295 fleet and create new opportunities for aircraft maintenance, component manufacturing and skilled employment.
In another major milestone, the first India-assembled C-295 aircraft rolled out from the Vadodara assembly line in May 2026 and successfully completed its maiden test flight on June 10, 2026. Following the successful flight, the Indian Air Force hailed the achievement as a historic step towards self-reliance in aerospace and defence manufacturing, reinforcing India’s ambition to become a global aviation manufacturing hub.
The success of the Airbus-Tata C-295 programme demonstrates India’s growing capabilities in advanced aircraft manufacturing. As aerospace infrastructure, indigenous production and MRO facilities continue to expand, the country is steadily progressing towards its long-term vision of building and operating Made in India civil aircraft while strengthening its position in the global aviation industry.
