By any measure, Indian aerospace is a prime example of how innovation drives the development of national and regional economies and communities. Not only is it an important contributor to the country’s economy, but it is also a measure to show growth in many respects. The Tamil Nadu state government is in the final stages of bringing out a comprehensive aerospace policy which it has been talking about for more than two years now. In 2017, one OEM will be positioned here. The marketing and road shows for this will happen soon,” said B. Elangovan, senior general manager, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited and MD of TIDEL Park.

The aerospace sector attracts talent and investment from around the world. Once the project is successful, industry leaders will choose India as the place to design and manufacture new products and from which to sell them to the world. The Indian aerospace sector shall lead the world in productivity and lead the country in business investment in Research and Development. It will definitely make significant contributions to Indian prosperity, technologies, and scientific excellence for decades.

According to Mr. Elangovan, work is in full swing at the Chennai Aerospace Park and a Special Purpose Vehicle is under formation. During a seminar on Tamil Nadu Aerospace and Defense Vision he stated that the land development work will commence in March. The conference was organized by the Aerospace Industry Development Association of Tamil Nadu.

Apart from looking at developing such parks at Coimbatore and Salem, he said the government is looking at a jet aircraft manufacturing project in Salem in association with Aerospace foundation of India (AEROFI).

The state of Tamil Nadu was working on capturing a 30% market share in the Indian Aerospace and Defense segment. For this, the State government is setting up a pavilion at Aero India 2017 where it will showcase the opportunities for investors in Tamil Nadu. This will be held in Bengaluru.

A team is also flying down to Australia to participate in Avalon 2017 (the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defense Exposition). “We are looking at B2B opportunities in Australia,” Mr. Elangovan said. State Industries Minister M. C. Sampath said that around 5,000 aerospace engineers will get jobs once the aerospace parks in the state are fully operational.

These recommendations span a range of possible government departments and programs. They cover both direct and indirect measures, as well as sector-specific and broad-based initiatives. Their focus is on making a stronger Indian innovation ecosystem which would support globally a competitive industry that continues to grow and thrive.