Tata Group May Have Inked Helicopter Deal With Airbus As French President Macron Lands In India

Airbus and Tata Group have reportedly finalised a deal to collaboratively produce H125 single-engine helicopters for commercial use at their assembly line in Vadodara, Gujarat.

What Happened: Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will oversee the assembly operations, Economic Times reported, citing sources. Additionally, the partnership aims to manufacture a minimum of 40 C-295 transport aircraft in India, with TASL managing the final assembly line in Vadodara.

Sources told the publication there was significant demand for single-engine helicopters in India, catering to high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), cargo transportation, and medical emergencies.

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Reportedly, there is already substantial interest from potential buyers for approximately 600-800 such helicopters. Airbus’ single-engine H130, widely used for sightseeing, VIP duties, medical airlift and surveillance, is expected to meet this demand.

Why It Matters: The formal announcement of this deal is scheduled for Friday, coinciding with French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India for the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the India-France Strategic Partnership. President Macron has been invited as the chief guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations on January 26.

Airbus and Tata have previously actively engaged in various collaborations, including the joint manufacturing of C-295 transport aircraft for defence purposes. The C-295 assembly line, part of a ₹21,935-crore deal announced a year ago, will also be situated in Vadodara.

This latest agreement adds to the series of collaborations between Tata Group and Airbus, with the former announcing plans to acquire 250 aircraft from Airbus for Air India in the world’s largest aviation deal in history early last year.

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