Airbus, the European aircraft maker run from Blagnac, France, plans to raise its yearly purchases of parts and services from India to $2 billion before 2030. Airbus currently buys $1.6 billion a year from India.
Jürgen Westermeier, president and managing director of Airbus India and South Asia, said the work Airbus buys is moving up the value chain, from detailed parts toward complex aerostructure assemblies, advanced digital avionics, and design and development. He spoke at the Aviation India and South Asia 2026 conference in New Delhi, in northern India.
Airbus is also exploring raw material purchases in India, including processed titanium, aluminum alloys and composites. Westermeier said India is a “very important market” for the company.
Nearly 600 Airbus airliners fly in India, and airlines there have 1,200 more on order, according to the report. The airline fleet in India stands at approximately 800 aircraft and should double in the coming years. In January 2026, Airbus forecast that the fleet will triple to 2,250 aircraft over the next decade.
Westermeier said growth and the development of the wider aviation system are two sides of the same coin. He called for faster expansion of maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity in India, and for more trained pilots, engineers and certified aircraft technicians. Airbus has invested in several pilot training centers in India, which together hold fourteen full flight simulators, including simulators for wide-body aircraft.
Airbus also runs two final assembly lines in India, one for the C295 military transport aircraft and one for the H125 helicopter.
For suppliers weighing India, the plan signals that a global aircraft maker expects to buy more complex assemblies and engineering work from companies there, not only machined parts.
