A GE Aerospace manufacturing facility in Pune will soon start making F414 jet engines, GE Aerospace South Asia Chief Executive Vikram Rai said at the NDTV World Summit on Monday, calling the country’s aerospace industry the “flag bearer of India’s manufacturing”. Push”.
The F414 engine powers some of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft, including the Boeing F/A 18E/F Super Hornet, and will be the heart of the Indian Air Force’s next generation indigenous fighter aircraft.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Mr Rai also highlighted India’s potential in the civil aviation sector, pointing to two mega orders in June last year, when Air India and IndiGo alone ordered 970 Airbus and Boeing aircraft .
“India has about 800 passenger aircraft… and about 1,500 (including Air India and IndiGo order book) are expected to be delivered over the next decade. I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg and India will continue to grow rapidly. Will keep in the coming years,” he said.
Mr Rai referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements earlier today.
Prime Minister Modi, while delivering the inaugural address, said that in the 125 days of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s third term alone (which started in June), eight new airports have started operating.
The Indian middle class is flying higher because of the Modi government’s “business-friendly” policies, Mr Rai said. “In a world full of chaos, the ‘India Story’ is being talked about,” he said.
“The middle class in India is about 400 million… The total population of the United States is about 300 million. The US has about 7,800 planes… India has about 800 and .02 seats per capita…”
“But India is fast catching up with China, which has 0.7 seats per capita, and the US, which has four seats per capita,” the GE Aerospace chief said while highlighting the growth prospects in the Indian aviation sector.
“Less than five per cent of India’s population is on board… and about 85 per cent of the total domestic air traffic is between metro cities. There is a huge runway for growth…” he said.
He also said the scale of demand underlines the importance of a sustainable industry, including the use of environmentally friendly technology. “At GE Aerospace we have created new engines… that are 10 to 15 percent more fuel efficient and record lower emissions levels.”
Mr Rai also said GE is currently working on an engine that will be 20 per cent more efficient and will also invest millions of dollars in the Pune factory, as part of its manufacturing and R&D plans.
