BENGALURU : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the new state-of-the-art campus of Boeing India Engineering & Technology Center (BIETC) in Bengaluru is a testimony to the strides made by the country in the aviation sector.
“This (BIETC) solidifies the pledge of ‘Make in India, Made for the World’... this facility will not only give strength to India’s aviation market, but also to the world market, while also strengthening the world’s trust in India’s talent,” Modi said, after inaugurating the campus.
“Today also celebrates the vision that through this facility, one day, India will design the aircraft of the future,” the PM said.
“Today is also a big day for the people of Karnataka. Last year, Asia’s biggest helicopter facility opened here, and now, this global tech campus will add to the state’s aviation potential. This shows how Karnataka is evolving as a big aviation hub,” he said.
Sharing the Indian aviation growth story over the decade, the PM stressed that today, each stakeholder involved in the aviation market is beaming with newfound enthusiasm. From manufacturing to services, all are eyeing new possibilities in the country. In the last one decade, domestic passenger traffic more than doubled, while India emerged as the world’s third largest domestic aviation market, boasting of close to 150 airports at present.
A cornerstone for partnerships
Modi lauded the country’s youth for their contribution to the sector, while especially acknowledging the stellar role played by women, including as fighter pilots or in civil aviation. “Among all Indian pilots, women constitute 15%, which is thrice the global average,” he said.
Accordingly, the American aviation giant initiated the Boeing Sukanya Program on Friday, which looks to increase the participation of Indian women, from underprivileged backgrounds and remote areas, in the aviation sector, while fulfilling their dreams of becoming pilots.
The new 43-acre BIE TC campus is the company’s largest such facility outside the US, and has seen investment to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore. Located at Hightech Defence and Aerospace Park in Devanahalli near Kempegowda International Airport, it is a cornerstone for partnering with India on next-generation products and services for the global aerospace and defence industry,
Boeing said in a statement. Over the years, Boeing India has expanded its engineering and R&D teams and has the largest number of employees in any country outside America, with more than 6,000 as of December 2023.