Bengaluru, Mar 7: European aerospace major Airbus has opened a new technology centre with a seating capacity of around 5,000 employees on the outskirts of Bengaluru, expanding its engineering and digital capabilities in India.
The facility, spread across about 8,80,000 square feet, will focus on engineering, digital transformation, customer services and procurement, and is expected to support Airbus’ growing operations in the country.
Company officials said the centre will play a key role in the design, development and maintenance of technologies used in Airbus aircraft and helicopters, making it the company’s largest engineering and digital hub outside Europe.
Jürgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director of Airbus in India and South Asia, said the new Airbus India Technology Centre marks an important step in the company’s expansion in the country.According to him, the centre will strengthen Airbus’ technological capabilities and innovation ecosystem while enabling greater participation of Indian engineers in the company’s global operations.
He said engineers and digital specialists working at the Bengaluru facility will contribute to various stages of the aircraft lifecycle, including maintaining and optimising existing commercial aircraft and helicopter programmes, as well as developing future technologies.
The centre will also support research in areas such as next-generation aviation technologies, cybersecurity, robotics and artificial intelligence.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Bengaluru has emerged as a major hub for aviation, aerospace and defence manufacturing in India, and the new centre further strengthens the city’s global position in the sector.
He said Indian engineers will play a significant role in designing and developing critical technologies used in Airbus aircraft and helicopters.Airbus officials said the company has significantly increased its sourcing from India in recent years, rising from about USD 500 million annually in 2019 to more than USD 1.5 billion currently, with plans to exceed USD 2 billion.
More than 100 Indian companies are now supplying components such as aircraft doors, flap track beams and helicopter fuselages for Airbus programmes worldwide.
These suppliers also support the company’s aircraft and helicopter assembly initiatives in India, including the C295 military transport aircraft project in Vadodara and the H125 helicopter assembly line near Bengaluru.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who inaugurated the facility, said India’s young engineering workforce offers strong opportunities for global aerospace companies to expand their presence in the country.
He said international firms are increasingly viewing India not only as a large market but also as an important manufacturing and technology base.
