HYDERABAD: A 90-member delegation from the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), representing 60 prominent French companies, visited Hyderabad on Wednesday, which is expected to strengthen Telangana’s global aerospace ties.
This is the largest delegation of its kind to visit the state, underscoring the growing partnership between France and Telangana in the aerospace and space sector, an official release said.
The delegation organised by GIFAS, in collaboration with Business France comprised CEOs and leaders of French aerospace firms including Safran, Dassault, MBDA, Thales, Ariane Group, CNES, Daher, Hexel, Liebherr, Roxel, Sorpa Steria Aresia etc.
Addressing the delegation, IT and Industries Minister D Shridhar Babu highlighted how Telangana became the choice manufacturing destination for global OEMs such as Safran, Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin GE, Raytheon etc.
He highlighted the leading French investments in Hyderabad, including the significant stake taken by French airport operator ADP in GMR International Airport, the three mega manufacturing facilities of Safran that have come up in Hyderabad since 2018 including the first aero engine MRO being built in India by a global engine OEM.
He said that the state’s industrial policies were aimed to cater to aerospace, defence and space sectors.
Telangana has received the biennial Best State Award for Aerospace from Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India four times in a row, retaining the top position for the sector from 2016 to 2024. Hyderabad was ranked the “Most Cost-Effective Global Aerospace City of the Future” by the Financial Times FDI Global Rankings for 2020-21, Sridhar said.