Mahindra Aerostructures awarded Airbus contract to manufacture A320 family fuselage skins | aviationbizz.com
In a significant boost to its ‘Make in India’ commitment, Mahindra Aerostructures Pvt. Ltd. (MASPL), a part of the Mahindra Group, has been awarded a contract by Airbus to manufacture and supply fuselage skins for the A320 family of aircraft, further strengthening its longstanding partnership with Airbus and expanding India’s role in the global aerospace supply chain.
Under the contract, Mahindra Aerostructures will manufacture fuselage skins for Sections 18 and 19, covering the rear fuselage and tail sections of the Airbus A320neo and A321XLR aircraft. The components will be manufactured at Mahindra Aerostructures’ facility in Bengaluru and supplied to Airbus’ manufacturing facility in Augsburg, Germany.
The scope includes the manufacture of eight fuselage skins for Section 18 and three fuselage skins for Section 19 of the aircraft. This along with recently concluded roll forming contract from Airbus aligns well with MASPL’s planned strategy to build larger fuselage sections in the near future.
Mr. Vinod Sahay, President, Mahindra Aerospace, Advanced Technologies and Trucks & Buses, said, “This marks another important step in our longstanding relationship with Airbus and further strengthens Mahindra Aerostructures’ role in the global aerospace supply chain. The manufacture of fuselage skins for the A320 family requires advanced process capabilities and precision at scale. Through investments in specialised technologies and manufacturing infrastructure, we will build critical capabilities in India and support Airbus’ requirements from our Bengaluru facility. We are grateful to Airbus for its continued confidence in Mahindra Aerostructures.”
Jürgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said, “We are delighted to expand our long-standing partnership with Mahindra Aerostructures as we continue to strengthen India’s role in our global supply chain. This contract for the manufacturing of the A320 family fuselage skins is a testament to the world-class precision engineering capabilities present in the country. By manufacturing complex components for our A320neo and A321XLR aircraft directly out of Bengaluru, Mahindra is playing a pivotal role in deepening India’s aerospace footprint and further driving the vision of ‘Make in India’ on the global stage.”
As part of a multi-year industrialisation roadmap for the programme, Mahindra Aerostructures will expand its specialised manufacturing capabilities through advanced chemical milling, surface treatment and stretch-forming production lines. Initial engineering activities, including tooling design, process-flow updates, qualification and inspection, are already underway, with delivery targeted for 2028.
The new contract builds on the growing relationship between Mahindra Aerostructures and Airbus. Mahindra Aerostructures has previously been awarded contracts to manufacture and assemble the main fuselages of the Airbus H125 and H130 helicopters, in addition to supplying components and sub-assemblies for Airbus commercial aircraft programmes.
The partnership reflects Mahindra Aerostructures’ continued investments in advanced manufacturing capabilities and its focus on supporting the growth of India as an important hub for global aerospace manufacturing.
About Mahindra Aerostructures
Mahindra Aerostructures represents the Mahindra Group’s interest in aerospace manufacturing. It operates a large plant near Bangalore, India, which is equipped with comprehensive capabilities to produce Aerospace parts, sub-assemblies and aerostructures. The business holds AS9100D and 6 NADCAP certifications alongside numerous customer accreditations including Aero Excellence rating and is a supplier to many reputed OEMs and Tiers around the world.
