Hyderabad a potential hub for aerospace & defence

Secunderabad: Indo–American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) AP & TS organised a round-table discussion on 'Overcoming Challenges in Aerospace and Defence sectors for sustainable business growth at Hyderabad" on Friday. The round-table discussion supported by GMR Aerospace & Industrial Park was attended by 35 people comprising MDs / Directors / CEOs / CFOs of sectors. The round-table saw people from different sectors put forth the problems they face and opportunities they foresee in the Aviation, Aerospace and Defence sectors.

Shrikant Badiga, Chairman of IACC, AP & TS, said that aerospace and defence sector play a very important role and to compliment and accelerate economy more industries need to come up. Hyderabad has a very good potential and the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park is complimenting the growth of the sector for India. The eco-system is there but minor issues have to be addressed and ironed out for the sector to bloom. Most international companies are looking at Hyderabad as a potential hub for setting up industries, he said.

Praveen PA, Director of Aerospace and Defence, Government of Telangana, said that aerospace, defence, IT and pharma are the thrust areas of the Telangana government. More companies are looking at Hyderabad as it has the people with right skill sets, infrastructure, vendor base and a proactive government. Aerospace and Defence companies are looking at Hyderabad to set up their manufacturing bases, he said. Hyderabad will be a hub of aerospace and defence where all activities, including R&D, manufacturing, etc. will happen, Mr. Praveen opined.

Some other points discussed, shared and suggested by the eminent leaders from State Government, Industry leaders and other stakeholders were: Regulatory Certification processes to be streamlined; Tax structure in Engine MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) to be rationalized as compared to other countries; Delay in processing of tax rebates by various ministries to be addressed; Focus on Aerospace and Defence industry for youth; Startup ecosystem in Aviation, Aerospace and Defence to be created; Skill development programs to be strengthened; Skill development programs between MSMEs Tier1 and Tier2 suppliers to be developedetc.

Dr Ramkumar Rudrabhatla, MD, P&P Nexgen Tech; Rajendra Velagapudi, MD & CEO, Cyient DLM, Gaurav Kamath, Head, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd.-Boeing (TASL-Boeing), and Vijaya Sai Meka, Senior Vice Chairman, IACC AP & TS were among those who spoke.