New Delhi

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday held discussions with Russia's Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov on joint manufacturing of civil passenger aircraft to meet India’s demand for regional air connectivity.

"With the immense potential of regional connectivity, there is a strong opportunity for India and Russia to take our relationship from buyer-seller to joint manufacturing and deeper industrial cooperation," Naidu said in a post on X. He further stated that India–Russia ties continue to grow, with aviation emerging as a key pillar of the strategic partnership.Public sector aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) previously signed an initial agreement for the licensed joint production and support of the Superjet (SJ-100) civil commuter aircraft in India, with localisation talks reportedly nearing completion.

Discussions and proposed deals cover potential deliveries and arrangements for 105 regional turboprop aircraft to Indian operators, including Pinnacle Air, Air Kerala, and Sleek Aviation.Russia displayed its regional SJ-100, MC-21, and Il-114-300 aircraft at the Innoprom event here to target India's expanding regional connectivity needs.

The growing aviation engagement comes as Russia seeks to deepen industrial cooperation with India beyond traditional defence platforms such as the MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets. The proposed aircraft deals indicate a possible expansion of India-Russia aerospace ties into civil aviation, regional connectivity and aircraft manufacturing.

Innoprom India, being held from September 9 to 11 in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS summit, has brought together more than 120 Russian and Indian companies.

Brazilian plane manufacturer Embraer’s global head of government relations, Jose Serrador Neto, also held a meeting with Naidu to discuss the company’s Make in India plans and the growing opportunities for collaboration."The confidence of global OEMs in India’s growing aerospace ecosystem and reliance on Indian manufacturers as key suppliers for global aviation supply chains is encouraging," an official statement said.

New Delhi

Indianaviation sector offers immense opportunities for MSMEs, and efforts are underway to have more Indian suppliers in the global aerospace market, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday.

Global aerospace players have a strong interest in India's aviation sector, Naidu said and highlighted that Indian airlines have placed orders for over 1,600 aircraft.

Speaking at a conference organised by industry body CII in the national capital, the minister also said that India cannot be just a place for assembling aerospace components but a place for designing, certifying and manufacturing the components. India is the world's third largest domestic aviation market. At the conference, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said various models for manufacturing aircraft in India are being looked at.

Boeing India and South Asia President Salil Gupte said the company sources products and services worth nearly Rs 14,000 crore from India annually. The aircraft maker has around 300 suppliers in India, and out of them, 25 per cent are MSMEs. Highlighting the aerospace potential of India, Gupte said it is not about manufacturing aerospace components in the country but to how quickly it can scaled up.