Need to have more Indian suppliers in global aerospace sector: Naidu

India’s aviation sector offers major opportunities for MSMEs, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said, stressing the need to expand domestic aerospace design, certification and manufacturing. Industry leaders highlighted India’s growing global supply-chain role, aircraft orders and opportunities for innovation 

New Delhi: Indian aviation 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.

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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.

Gupte, also the Chairman of CII National Committee on Aerospace Manufacturing, emphasised the need for Indian entities to manufacture complete assemblies and complex systems as well as develop intellectual properties.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Vipin Kumar said the growing civil aviation sector in the country provides opportunities for MSMEs and also stressed the importance of skilling activities.

AAI airports can be the ground for innovations, and efforts should be made to design, certify and manufacture airport equipment in India as well as export it.

They were speaking at the conference VORTEX 2026 on National Initiative for MSME Integration into Global Aerospace Supply Chains organised by CII in partnership with the civil aviation ministry.