Airbus awards A320 fuselage skin manufacturing contract to Mahindra Aerostructures
In a significant boost to its ‘Make in India’ commitment, Airbus has awarded a contract for the manufacturing of the A320 aircraft fuselage skins to Mahindra Aerostructures. This collaboration further solidifies India’s role in high-precision engineering, deepening the country’s footprint in global aerospace manufacturing.
Under the contract, Mahindra Aerostructures will manufacture and supply fuselage skins for Sections 18 and 19, the rear fuselage and tail sections of the Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, from its facility in Bengaluru to Airbus Aerostructures’ manufacturing facility in Augsburg, Germany. The scope includes the manufacture of eight fuselage skins for Section 18 and three fuselage skins for Section 19 of the aircraft.
“We are delighted to expand our long-standing partnership with Mahindra Aerostructures as we continue to strengthen India’s role in our global supply chain. This contract from Airbus Aerostructures to Mahindra for the manufacturing of the A320 family fuselage skins is a testament to the world-class precision manufacturing capabilities present in the country. By manufacturing complex components for our A320neo Family aircraft directly out of Bengaluru, Mahindra is playing a pivotal role in deepening India’s aerospace footprint and further driving the vision of ‘Make in India’ on the global stage,” said Jürgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia.
“This marks another important step in our longstanding relationship with Airbus and further strengthens Mahindra Aerostructures’ role in the global aerospace supply chain. The manufacture of fuselage skins for the A320 family requires advanced process capabilities and precision at scale. Through investments in specialised technologies and manufacturing infrastructure, we will build critical capabilities in India and support Airbus’ requirements from our Bengaluru facility. We are grateful to Airbus for its continued confidence in Mahindra Aerostructures,” said Vinod Sahay, President, Mahindra Aerospace, Advance Technologies and Trucks & Buses.
Under the multi-year industrialisation roadmap, Mahindra Aerostructures will expand its specialised manufacturing capabilities through advanced chemical milling, surface treatment and stretch-forming production lines. The partnership will enable critical technology development in India by introducing stretch-forming capabilities, which is a critical process for the manufacturing of skin panels, making up a very large portion of the aerostructure of an aircraft. The programme’s initial manufacturing engineering activities, including tooling design, process flow updates, qualification and inspection is underway with final delivery targeted for 2028.
The new contract builds on the growing relationship between Mahindra Aerostructures and Airbus. Mahindra Aerostructures has previously been awarded contracts to manufacture and assemble the main fuselages of the Airbus H125 and H130 helicopters, in addition to supplying components and sub-assemblies for Airbus commercial aircraft programmes.
Today, every Airbus commercial aircraft has components and technologies made in India. The company currently sources components and services worth over US$1.6 billion annually from India, including complex aerostructures and assemblies such as aircraft doors and helicopters cabins, reinforcing the country’s growing role in Airbus’ global supply chain as well as support the successful discharge of the C295 offset obligation The company is on track to exceed US$2 billion in annual sourcing before the end of the decade.
Airbus has also established two Final Assembly Lines in India for the C295 and the H125 Helicopter. These are the first instances of aircraft and helicopter manufacturing and assembly from the private sector in India. The company is also contributing towards capacity building, establishing two pilot training centres in the Delhi NCR with an installed capacity of 14 full flight simulators for narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.
Together, these programmes underscore Airbus’ long-term commitment to building a comprehensive aerospace ecosystem in India across manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, design, digital capabilities and human capital development.
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