Boeing India Chief Salil Gupte Highlights global importance of India
By Shyam Bhatia
Farnborough, July 21. Boeing India President Salil Gupte emphasised the global importance of India and the growing significance of Boeing’s ties with New Delhi during the five day Farnborough International Air Show.
In carefully timed comments to the Indian and international media, starting with India Strategic, Gupte declared how “India is at the centre of everything” with South Asia as “the fastest growing region in the world.”
US-born Gupte, who has ancestral links with Maharashtra, joined Boeing in 2009 from Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York, where he was a member of the Special Situations Group, focusing on making investments in aviation, transportation, and infrastructure. At Goldman, he worked to execute an aircraft leasing joint venture and also worked with airlines around the world on asset sale / leasebacks.
Before that the affable and widely respected Boeing India chief worked at Salomon Smith Barney (Citigroup) in the investment banking division, focusing on airlines and other global transportation companies.
At Farnborough he was a welcome presence at an exclusive, round table briefing for the Indian media, where Boeing introduced a video highlighting the capabilities of the FA/18 Hornet undergoing trials in Goa. The FA/18 has been described as the US Navy’s frontline carrier based fighter aircraft best suited for the requirements of the Indian navy. Both one seater and two seater models are available and carrier compatible.
Recent Boeing deliveries to the Indian armed forces include six more Apaches for the Indian army, supplementing 22 Apache attack helicopters for the Indian Air Force.
Asked by India Strategic whether Boeing would focus more on the Indian defence or civil markets, Gupte responded, “Both are important.” He then went on to say, “In defence India is a huge partner of the US. It’s almost unthinkable to think of how the partnership has evolved.”
Boeing’s defence presence in India started with the C-17 aircraft, extending to the P-81 with follow up orders for the C-17 and P-81 naval version.
The company is just as pleased with orders for civilian aircraft with such major Indian customers as Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa air. The Boeing 777 aircraft is used for VIP flights for India’s President and Prime Minister.
Meanwhile Gupte’s personal role in pushing for joint venture and training projects, including maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) support, has confirmed Boeing’s reputation as a reliable, India-friendly company that is willing to both give and take from one of its most prized global markets.
Current tenders that have attracted Boeing participation include a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for landing gear work with AI Engineering Services that is a government approved MRO for Boeing defence platforms.
Building MRO and Boeing Repair Development and Sustainablity (BIRDS) capabilities has additionally given India a capacity to adapt building technology that can be used for both civil and defence aviation.
