Bengaluru,oct 28 pti
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Monday emphasised the importance of developing indigenous civil aircraft to showcase India’s expertise and strengthen its position as a preferred destination for aerospace component manufacturing, from initial design to final production, according to an official press release.
Addressing staff at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), flight training organisations (FTOs), and aerospace industry representatives in Bengaluru, Minister Naidu underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for India to become a leading aviation hub by the end of the decade and achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047.
“India has a competitive advantage in the aerospace industry, supported by a qualified workforce of engineers, scientists, and IT graduates; an established base of parts and components; robust manufacturing expertise; and advanced academic institutions and R&D infrastructure. Many aerospace companies are considering India as a destination for manufacturing and MRO services. However, for India to become a significant player in the global aerospace industry, including both civil and defence sectors, we must address existing technological gaps–a critical challenge for Indian companies,” Naidu stated.
“Our institutions need to keep pace with the increasing reliance on technology across the design lifecycle. Many foreign companies remain reluctant to transfer cutting-edge technology to India without significant management control, often providing licences for older technologies instead. This has hindered Indian companies’ competitiveness in the global market. Consequently, our R&D labs must produce globally competitive innovations to strengthen our aviation industry and realise our Prime Minister’s vision for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. This requires disruptive innovation,” he added.Reflecting on CSIR-NAL’s significant contributions to both civil and defence aerospace sectors over the past 65 years, Naidu praised the laboratory’s work on major national civil aircraft programmes. He acknowledged NAL’s contributions to the development of the indigenous two-seater trainer aircraft Hansa-3 (NG), the Saras MK-2 Light Transport Aircraft currently under development, and the advancements in the Project Definition Phase (PDP) of the Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) programme.Naidu also expressed his appreciation for the positive responses received from FTOs for CSIR-NAL’s Hansa-NG aircraft, along with the interest shown by production agencies in commercialising it to meet FTO demand.
