GURUGRAM- Tata Group-owned Tata Advance Systems Limited (TIAL) recently inaugurated the final assembly line (FAL) facility for Airbus C295 transport aircraft and is planning to make a civilian aircraft, which might be ordered by its carrier, Air India (AI).
All these talks are at a nascent stage and might or may not come into reality. However, it’s worth discussing them.
Air India Airbus C295
But before we begin, let’s understand what is the role of Airbus C295 aircraft and who operates them.
Airbus began production of C295, a medium tactical transport aircraft in 1997. Since its debut with the Spanish Air Force, Airbus and its associated partners have made around 225 of them.
The aircraft is known for its versatility as there are a dozen variants ranging from the Military transport version to the Gunship version. The C295 aircraft is operated by around 35 countries, mostly for military operations.
So if the reports shared by IDRW are true then it will be the first time that C295 aircraft will be used for civilian transport purposes.
Currently, ATR and Bombardier rule the Indian skies in the turboprop market segment and ATR is leading as it is also the largest regional aircraft manufacturer. However, Air India doesn’t have any of these in its fleet.
Why Air India doesn’t have Regional Aircraft?
Remember, a few months ago we published a post based on media reports that Air India is looking to order new regional aircraft to enhance its regional connectivity.
Air India earlier used to operate 20 ATR aircraft under its former subsidiary, Alliance Air (9I). The regional carrier was not included in the Air India divestment and continues to operate as a government-run airline.
IndiGo (6E) currently leads the regional aircraft market with 45 ATR-72s and five more on order. While SpiceJet (SG) has a fleet of 24 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400, out of 24, only seven are in service.
So now Air India is looking strategically to connect regional cities with domestic ones and then to International ones. The Air India Group with its multiple subsidiary carriers has strong International and Domestic connectivity. So it lags regional connectivity and to fill this gap it looks to order new aircraft or now made themselves one through its own production line.
India’s regional aircraft fleet has grown by 12.5% since the end of 2023, now totaling 108 aircraft, according to data from Flightradar24.
Also, many new regional carriers are popping up as there is a boost through the UDAN scheme.
Benefits for Air India
Airbus C295 aircraft is a versatile, tactical, and multi-role aircraft and already proved its worth. But how its passenger variant can benefit Air India?
Air India can benefit from the C295 aircraft’s fuel efficiency on regional and shorter domestic routes.
Further, the airline can benefit from multi-role, passenger, and cargo aircraft which can be used according to demand. Air India is also planning to establish a dedicated cargo facility and C295 help them with regional cargo connectivity.
The airline can support Tata’s made-in-India initiative bypass global supply chain delays and get new planes on time. You can find more benefits and other details here.
TATA Airbus C295 Facility
We know many have already talked about this but here’s the brief on Tata’s new production facility.
In a milestone for India’s Aerospace and Defence industry, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus inaugurated a Final Assembly Line (FAL) complex for the Airbus C295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. This joint venture, part of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, aims to deliver 56 C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón inaugurated the facility, joined by N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, and Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.
This development marks the first private-sector aircraft FAL in India, strengthening the government’s ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) vision.
The FAL inauguration follows the IAF’s 2021 contract for 56 C295 aircraft to replace its aging AVRO fleet. Under this agreement, TASL will manufacture and assemble 40 units at the Vadodara facility, with the remaining 16 delivered directly by Airbus from its assembly line in Seville, Spain.
The first ‘Make in India’ C295 is set to roll out from the Vadodara FAL by September 2026. The facility will then ramp up production to fulfill the IAF’s requirement of 40 aircraft by August 2031.
Further, India will procure 15 more C295 aircraft, of these 12 will be made in India at the Vadodara facility.
India now stands as the largest C295 customer globally, with a commitment to 56 aircraft. Under this ‘Make in India’ initiative, over 85% of structural and final assembly for 40 aircraft, along with 13,000 individual parts, will be produced domestically.
Airbus has certified 21 specialized processes for the project and enlisted 37 local suppliers across both private and public sectors.
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