Airbus Seeking to form Partnerships with Indian Defence and Space

Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, stated on Friday that the company is looking for partnerships in the Indian defence and space sectors.

He also stated that the European aerospace major is looking for partnerships with both private and government companies to establish a sourcing and manufacturing base in India.

"In a world that is changing so rapidly, it is important to have partners that you can trust and are reliable. The relationship of Airbus and India is one such partnership," Schoellhorn said, adding "we can say that we make in India, skill in India and innovate in India."

"We realise the manufacturing prowess is nothing but building a skilled ecosystem and hence we have invested to build partnership and joint ventures in India," Schoellhorn said, adding that Make In India is at the heart of Airbus' strategy here.

The company is looking at the Indian space sector, which is expected to attract significant investment as a result of the Indian Space Policy, which was announced in 2023, he said. "Airbus will be looking to play a big role in the space sector, which is at the cusp of development," Schoellhorn said, noting that the aircraft manufacturer has already built satellites in India and contributed to Israel's space sector.

Airbus has recently signed several agreements and contracts for manufacturing and sourcing.