NextFin news, Airbus held its inaugural board meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, September 25, 2025, a departure from its traditional locations in Europe or established manufacturing hubs like China. This strategic gathering brought together Airbus directors, Indian government representatives, and executives from IndiGo and Air India, the company's two largest Indian customers, according to a report by The Economic Times.
Typically, Airbus board meetings are held in Europe or countries with deep manufacturing ties to the company. The last board meeting outside Europe took place in China in 2018, where Airbus operates a final assembly line for A320 jets. The decision to hold the meeting in India underscores the country's growing importance in Airbus' global strategy.
The timing aligns with the Indian government's Make-in-India initiative, which encourages global aerospace firms to transition from merely selling aircraft in India to manufacturing them locally. With Indian carriers having placed orders for over 1,500 aircraft, there is increasing pressure on Airbus to deepen its local manufacturing and supply chain presence.
An Airbus spokesperson confirmed the visit, stating, "We continue to further integrate India into our global value chain. This visit will serve to reinforce our commitment, cementing Airbus’ role as a reliable partner of India." During the visit, the board is scheduled to tour key suppliers such as Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad and Dynamatic Technologies in Karnataka, both integral to Airbus’ Tier 1 global supply network.
Currently, Airbus sources approximately $1.4 billion worth of components annually from over 40 Indian suppliers, with plans to increase this figure to $2 billion by 2030. The company is already establishing final assembly lines for the C-295 military aircraft in Gujarat and civilian helicopters in Karnataka. However, Airbus remains cautious about initiating local assembly of commercial jets in India at this stage.
This board meeting in Delhi reflects Airbus' strategic intent to strengthen its manufacturing and supply chain ecosystem in India, supporting the government's vision of self-reliance and boosting the aerospace sector's growth in the country.
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