Airbus has opened a large new technology centre in Bengaluru, strengthening its presence in India and creating thousands of high-skilled jobs in the country’s growing aviation and aerospace sector.

The new facility, called the Airbus India Technology Centre will serve as a major hub for engineering, digital technologies, customer support and procurement activities. The centre was inaugurated by D. K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, and M. B. Patil, the state’s minister for Industries and Infrastructure. India’s Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu joined the event virtually. Senior Airbus leaders including Catherine Jestin and Jürgen Westermeier were also present.

A large facility for 5,000 professionals

Spread across about 880,000 square feet, the new campus is designed to accommodate around 5,000 employees. Airbus said the facility will support its long-term growth plans in India and strengthen its “Make in India” strategy.

The centre will bring together several key functions under one roof, including engineering, innovation, digital development, customer services and procurement.

According to Airbus officials, this consolidation will allow teams to work more closely together and speed up innovation while supporting global aircraft programmes.

Major boost to job creation

The new centre is expected to create thousands of high-value jobs for engineers, software developers, aviation specialists and digital technology professionals in Bengaluru.

India already plays an important role in Airbus’ global operations, and the company said the new campus will further expand opportunities for Indian talent in areas such as aerospace engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and digital aviation solutions.

Many of the professionals working at the centre will support the entire lifecycle of Airbus aircraft from design and development to maintenance and digital optimisation.

Strengthening India’s role in global aviation

Airbus has had a presence in India for more than 60 years, but its engineering operations in Bengaluru have grown rapidly over the past two decades. What started as a smaller engineering unit has now evolved into one of Airbus’ largest engineering and digital hubs outside Europe.

Engineers at the Bengaluru centre already contribute to several Airbus aircraft and helicopter programmes worldwide, helping improve technologies used in commercial aircraft and advanced aviation systems.

Supporting airlines worldwide

The new campus will also house a dedicated customer services centre that supports Airbus airlines around the world. The team will help airlines with technical assistance, maintenance support and operational services to ensure their aircraft fleets operate smoothly.

This global support function will work closely with airlines operating Airbus aircraft in different regions.

Growing sourcing from Indian companies

The Bengaluru campus will also play a key role in managing Airbus’ procurement and supplier network in India.

Over the past few years, Airbus has significantly increased its sourcing from Indian companies. The company’s annual procurement from India has grown from about 500 million US dollars in 2019 to more than 1.5 billion US dollars today.

Airbus expects this figure to cross 2 billion US dollars before the end of the decade.

Currently, more than 100 Indian companies supply critical aircraft components such as flap track beams, aircraft doors and helicopter structures for Airbus programmes worldwide.

Indian firms are also supporting major Airbus projects in the country, including the C295 military transport aircraft assembly line in Vadodara and helicopter manufacturing activities near Bengaluru.

Training the next generation of aerospace talent

The new technology centre will also host a local chapter of the Airbus Leadership University, which will provide specialised training programmes for aerospace professionals.

The initiative will support the Government of India’s Skill India programme, helping train future engineers, managers and specialists for the aviation and aerospace sectors.

With the opening of the new campus, Airbus is further deepening its long-term commitment to India while positioning Bengaluru as one of the most important global hubs for aerospace engineering and innovation.