Amid the competition in the global civil aviation market, India has recently taken a bold step to try to enhance its position in the international aviation sector through large-scale aircraft purchases. India's IndiGo and Air India have ordered a total of 750 Airbus aircraft, a move that is not only a huge support for Airbus, but also a sign of India's confidence in the development of its own aviation industry. However, India's expectations have not been fully met.
India's buying behavior was inspired by China's previous one-off $20 billion Airbus order, which prompted Airbus to set up production lines in China. India wants the same treatment with a similar investment, namely the establishment of an Airbus production line in India. Unfortunately, Airbus rejected India's request on the grounds that China's production lines were sufficient to meet regional demand and that India's industrial base and workforce quality were far behind China's.
This incident reflects India's challenges in global manufacturing and industrial competition. Although India has made progress in some areas, it still needs to work hard to improve its industrial capacity and the quality of its workforce in high-end manufacturing, such as the manufacture of civil airliners. In addition, it also shows that the factors that large international enterprises consider when making global layout decisions are not only the number of orders, but also many factors such as production efficiency, cost and geopolitics.
India's attempt has not been successful, but its large-scale purchases have had a positive impact on the aviation industry. The incident also provided India with valuable lessons on the need to take into account its own conditions and the international environment more comprehensively in the pursuit of industrial development and international cooperation. In the future, India may be able to enhance its competitiveness in the international market by improving its industrial infrastructure and improving the quality of its workforce.