India can make large airplanes, says Boeing's Dinesh Keskar

India has the capacity to manufacture large airplanes, although it will take some time because the country needs three things – a huge amount of capital, a highly skilled labour force and top-end facilities - to make such planes, top aircraft maker Boeing has said.

The $105-billion global giant also said that the NDA government's 'Make in India' programme has become a major incentive for the foreign investors. Every company now wants to be associated with the programme as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally attached to it, PTI reported.

Stating that India is on the right path and needs to gradually move up, senior Boeing executive Dinesh Keskar said that the country and companies would need to consistently develop the skill-set and other necessary requirements to make base to manufacture such planes in future.

Answering a query on whether large airplanes like Boeing 787 can ever be made in India, he said: "That will be a long time. Even China which is way ahead in manufacturing is still not doing it…," Keskar told PTI in an interview.

"Boeing bets its big every time it builds a new plane. You need billions of dollars," said Keskar, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific and India Sales at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The aircraft industry veteran further said: "You need an amazing amount of skilled labour who knows how to build different systems and integrate it all together.

"Today, there are only two companies, Boeing and Airbus, who know how to do this. Others are making smaller planes. So, money, skills and facilities are the three things we need," he said.

The Boeing executive said India has got the money and workforce, but no Indian firm has so far decided to do it. "Even the smaller airplanes are not being made so far. I think, we should start with 50-seaters or 100-seaters and then look at the bigger ones. That is how it can work," he said.

Rival Airbus India Managing Director Srinivasan Dwarkanath also said it was very much possible for India to manufacture large planes over the years.

Giving example of the proposed replacement for the Indian Air Force's Avro aircraft fleet, he said it would "totally made in India". "I don't see a reason why it (manufacturing of large aircraft) cannot happen in India," said Dwarkanath, who was also here for the Air Show.
(Image: Reuters)