Spanish PM in Gujarat in maiden India trip, to inaugurate Tata-Airbus plant today
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in Gujarat’s Vadodara city early on Monday, officials said.
Sanchez’s flight landed at the Vadodara airport around 1.30 am as he began his maiden official visit to India. He is scheduled to visit Mumbai on Tuesday before returning to Spain. Sanchez will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a roadshow before jointly inaugurating the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) facility in Vadodara on Monday morning.
The 2.5 km roadshow from the airport to the Tata facility will have cultural shows en route. The two leaders will also visit the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace, where they will hold a bilateral meeting organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
They will have lunch at the palace before proceeding to their respective destinations, officials said. Sanchez will leave for Spain at around 12.30 am Wednesday, according to his schedule shared by the MEA. In Vadodara, Sanchez and Modi will jointly inaugurate the complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft by TAS, the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India.
As many as 40 aircraft will be built in the Vadodara facility as part of an agreement, while aviation behemoth Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly. TASL is responsible for making these 40 aircraft in India and this facility will be the first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military planes in India.
It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft. Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units, such as Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to this programme.
PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara final assembly line in October 2022.