Airbus has awarded Mahindra Aerostructures Pvt Ltd a new contract to manufacture and supply fuselage skins for its A320 family of aircraft, in a move that strengthens India’s growing role in the global aerospace supply chain.
Under the agreement, Mahindra will manufacture eight fuselage skins for Section 18 and three for Section 19, covering parts of the aircraft’s rear fuselage and tail, for the A320neo and A321XLR. The components will be produced at Mahindra Aerostructures’ facility in Bengaluru and supplied to Airbus’s manufacturing facility in Augsburg, Germany.
The contract expands Mahindra Aerostructures’ existing portfolio of components, sub-assemblies and complex aerostructures already supplied to Airbus’s commercial aircraft programmes, and adds a more advanced aerostructure programme to the company’s work with the aircraft maker.
Commenting on the agreement, Airbus’s Westermeier said the company was delighted to expand its long-standing partnership with Mahindra Aerostructures as it continues to strengthen India’s role in its global supply chain, adding that the contract for the A320 family fuselage skins reflected the precision engineering capabilities present in the country.
The deal comes as India seeks to move beyond supplying smaller aerospace components towards manufacturing increasingly complex aircraft structures. Mahindra Aerostructures has steadily expanded its work with Airbus over the years. In 2016, it became the first Indian company to secure a direct Airbus Helicopters Tier-1 manufacturing contract for AS565 MBe Panther airframe parts. The company has also taken on manufacturing of complete main fuselage assemblies for Airbus Helicopters’ H130 and H125 programmes.