FICCI aerospace and air defence business delegation at Paris Air Show

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the first time took a 19-member delegation representing both large and MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) players in the aerospace and air defence sector to the Paris Air Show. The objective of the delegation was to forge deeper ties between the European and Indian aerospace industry. The ambitious procurement plans of the Government of India coupled with the ‘Make in India’ campaign provided an ideal platform for the European aerospace industry to seek opportunities for codevelopment and co-production in air defence technologies and platforms in India.

Apart from business meetings with French majors like Dassault Aviation, Safran, etc, the delegation also interacted with other global majors like SKF, Nexter, besides other important SMEs. The delegation also met the aerospace clusters of Canada and France. The delegation was hosted by GIFAS on June 17, 2015, where Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation, and Mohan Kumar, Ambassador of India to France, participated at France- Indo Industry Meeting and exchanged views on co-development and co-production opportunities under ‘Make in India’. Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Gajapathi Raju welcomed the French companies to explore the vast opportunities offered by India, not just as a market but also as a manufacturing hub with vast pool of technically qualified skilled professionals. During this occasion, the senior industry leaders from India and France also deliberated on the strengths and opportunities in defence aerospace supply chain and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in India.