Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated US aerospace giant Boeing’s global engineering and technology campus, built with an investment of Rs 1,600 crore on a 43-acre campus in Bengaluru.
The Boeing India Engineering & Technology Center (BIETC) is the company’s largest investment outside the US and will be a cornerstone for collaboration with India on products and services for the global aerospace and defense industries, said a statement.
Modi said Bengaluru links ambitions to innovations and achievements, and Indian technology to global demand. “Boeing’s new technology campus will reinforce this belief,” Modi said.
The facility demonstrates India’s commitment to boosting global technology, research and innovation. “This strengthens the ‘Make in India – Make for the World’ resolution,” he said. “This campus strengthens the world’s confidence in India’s talent. India will design aircraft of the future at this facility.
Boeing India has grown its engineering, research and development (R&D talent) team over the years to 6,000 as of December 2023, the largest number of such employees outside the United States.
“We are honored and privileged to support Prime Minister Modi’s transformative vision for India, and we are grateful that he is dedicating the Boeing campus to advancing aerospace innovation in the country,” said David L Calhoun, president and CEO from Boeing.
Modi was accompanied by Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka and Boeing Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Pope.
Modi also launched the Boeing Sukanya program that supports girls and women to enter the country’s growing aviation sector. The program will help women learn critical skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and train for jobs in the aviation sector. The program also provides scholarships to women training to become pilots.
“We are very pleased that Prime Minister Modi has personally launched the Boeing Sukanya program,” Pope said. “Together we will help increase opportunities for women across India to pursue careers and leadership positions in the aviation sector.” BIETC is a testament to Boeing’s engineering legacy and underlines the company’s belief in Indian talent and capability, she said.
Modi said his government is working to increase women’s participation in all sectors and has pushed for women-led development during its G20 presidency. The government is committed to creating new opportunities for women in the aerospace sector. “Be it fighter pilots or civil aviation, India leads the world in the number of women pilots,” Modi said. He said 15 percent of Indian pilots are women, or three times more than the global average.
Boeing’s purchasing from India amounts to $1 billion per year through a network of more than 300 suppliers. More than 13,000 people work at the supply chain partners.
Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, a joint venture with Tata Group, produces AH-64 Apache helicopter fuselages and 737 aircraft vertical fin structures for international customers. Boeing will set up a new Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) line in Hyderabad along with GMR Aero Technic. Boeing’s upcoming Global Support Center will deliver customized operational efficiency and safety improvement projects for airline customers, regulators and other stakeholders. In addition, Boeing’s India Logistics Center will provide service solutions for regional customers.
First print: January 19, 2024 | 8:12 PM IST