Airbus expects to deliver the first C295 tactical transport from its India final assembly line in the second half of this year.
Confirming the timeline, Wouter van Wersch, Airbus executive vice-president international, hails the ”great achievement” amid the firm’s growing presence in India.
The imminent delivery of the first India-made C295 comes about two years after the inauguration of the final assembly line in Gujarat state – a joint venture between Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems.
The aircraft is the first of 40 that will be operated by the Indian air force, and forms part of a wider 56-aircraft order announced in 2021. The remaining 16 C295s are produced in Spain.
Van Wersch says Airbus intends to use the Indian final assembly line to “grow the capabilities and answer the demand that India will have, because we are convinced that there’s [a need] for more C295s in India”.
He adds: “The C295 is a very successful transport aircraft that we are selling all over the world, and we would really like to also use India as a platform to deliver to the region.”
