Airbus Taps Mahindra for H130 Helicopter Production in India

Mahindra Aerostructures has secured a contract from Airbus to manufacture the fuselage for the single-engine Airbus H130 helicopters. The first unit is expected to be delivered by March 2027. The agreement by the European aircraft maker aims to boost domestic manufacturing and promote India’s aerospace ecosystem, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Airbus has further planned to expand its manufacturing business in roles ranging from assembly, manufacturing, engineering, innovation, digital and training in India 

“We have a strategic plan for India and we are implementing it to develop a holistic aerospace ecosystem,” said President and MD, Airbus India and South Asia, Remi Maillard, according to the statement.

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The contract will increase Mahindra’s role in Airbus’ commercial aircraft manufacturing programmes. It already manufactures a variety of parts since 2015, including airframe and wing parts across Airbus’ A320neo, A330neo and A350 programmes. 

“We are delighted to deepen our longstanding partnership with Airbus through this pivotal aerostructures contract,” said Group CEO and MD of the Mahindra Group, Anish Shah.

Mahindra Group had secured a $100 million contract with Airbus Atlantic to manufacture metallic components for the entire Airbus commercial aircraft family and to supply parts directly to Airbus facilities in France and Germany. 

“This new contract from Airbus Atlantic opens a new frontier in our existing relationship with the Airbus Group,” President Aerospace and Defense Mahindra Group, Vinod Sahay had said earlier.

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Airbus Expands Manufacturing in India 

Apart from the Mahindra Group, Airbus forged a partnership with the Tata Group’s subsidiary Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) to build India’s first Final Assembly Line (FAL) for helicopters last year. The facility will focus on the production of H125 helicopters both for domestic use and export to the country’s neighbours. The line is expected to deliver the first ‘Made in India’ H125 helicopter in 2026. Prior to this, the salt-to-power conglomerate was awarded a contract to produce cargo doors of the A320 family.

In February last year, the aircraft maker had awarded Bengaluru-based Dynamatic Technologies to manufacture the Flap Track Beam of the Airbus A330 and A320 Family aircraft.