New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS): India is on its way to emerge not only a major hub for civil aviation but also a centre for aircraft component manufacturing, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, said on Friday.

Chairing a high-level meeting to review and advance aircraft component manufacturing in the country, the minister discussed a unified national roadmap to propel India as a global aerospace hub.

The discussions centred on strengthening domestic production and enhancing India’s global competitiveness in the field of aircraft component manufacturing.

Fueled by strategic alliances with leading global aerospace firms and the growing demand for air travel, India’s aircraft component manufacturing sector is experiencing significant growth.

Major international OEMs are progressively sourcing components from India, underscoring the exceptional quality and dependability of our domestic industry.

“Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the aerospace sector, I can confidently state that we are already at a respectable position in the global civil aviation arena but our ambition now is to be in the lead,” said Naidu.

It is imperative that we build a comprehensive ecosystem — encompassing skill development, design, manufacturing, maintenance, certification, and knowledge sharing — through close collaboration among our ministries and departments with industry, the minister added.

“With our deep reservoir of talent and resources and by integrating valuable industry insights, we can chart a unified national roadmap that transforms these opportunities into concrete, strategic outcomes,” he mentioned.

The minister assured industry stakeholders of the government's unwavering commitment to developing a comprehensive and inclusive roadmap.

He articulated a dual-pronged strategy that aims to both expand the indigenous aircraft component manufacturing by utilizing the supply chain network of our MSMEs and simultaneously giving greater international market access to Indian component OEMs.