India's Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has boosted its civil manufacturing operations through a follow-on deal with Airbus to build A320-family forward passenger doors, writes Nicolas Ionides.
HAL says it signed a deal with Airbus in July covering "a renewal plus an expansion" of an existing contract for A320-family doors. HAL has been manufacturing forward passenger doors for Airbus since 1992 and says the number made to date is "nearing 500".
The contract covers the supply of 1,000 shipsets to Airbus and is valued at around Rp3.8 billion ($82 million), says HAL.
India's government says the contract was won "against stiff global competition" and is a breakthrough "as it has given further impetus to HAL to get a good share in the global market".
Last month Airbus unveiled plans to boost output significantly over the next two years, and seeks to expand its outsourcing. "The ramp-up is an opportunity to increase the amount of work with existing suppliers as well as to add new suppliers and countries," said chief operating officer Gustav Humbert (Flight International, 27 July-2 August).
Source: Flight International
