New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities will play a decisive role in shaping the future of India's aviation industry, said Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India & South Asia.

'MRO is really going to be important as part of the ecosystem of Aviation India. We have almost 3,000 aircraft coming into India over the next 20 years, and those need to be maintained increasingly here. We have been supporting base maintenance and line maintenance here with our partners such as GMR, Air Works and AIASL,' Gupte noted.

Speaking with ANI, Gupte said, given its significance to infrastructure and national security, the aerospace sector should operate in a zero-tariff environment.

Gupte said the next phase of growth would be to encourage suppliers, including engine and component partners, to set up facilities in India. Companies like Safran are already establishing engine MRO units in India, while Boeing has announced landing gear work. Other suppliers in electrical systems and avionics are also expected to follow.

On the ongoing trade issues with the U.S, the Boeing India chief expressed confidence that both nations would resolve tariff issues soon. 'We are very optimistic that the two countries will come together on a solution here in the next weeks and months. We believe that globally, for aerospace, because it is such a critical part of both infrastructure and national security, aerospace should be in a zero-tariff environment. And you've seen other countries come to an agreement with the United States on that. We hope for that for India as well,' he said.

He highlighted that Boeing has invested heavily in India's defense and aerospace base. 'Over the past number of years, there's been hundreds of millions of dollars that we have invested in engineering and manufacturing under the auspices of the joint statement of the United States and India. That was the leading part of the statement that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi made earlier this year,' Gupte added.

On civil aviation sector, Gupte noted that India remains one of the fastest-growing markets. 'Naturally, you've seen this flurry of orders over the past few years, of which Boeing has been a really big part. But our focus has to be on delivering airplanes for our customers and on building that ecosystem, which includes not just MRO, but also pilot training,' he said.

He pointed to initiatives such as competency-based training and Boeing's 'Sukanya' programme for women in aviation, launched at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the defense side, Gupte said Boeing will continue to drive co-development and co-production. 'There are some additional opportunities for platforms coming into India, such as the Apaches that have been delivered for the Army this year, but co-development and co-production is something that we have been working on. We believe we will continue to lead in that space amongst all foreign OEMs,' he stressed.

Looking ahead, he said India's aerospace journey will hinge on collaborative opportunities. 'In the years to come, a lot of it will depend on the co-development and co-production opportunities that come our way, but I imagine those will be very attractive,' Gupte said. (ANI)