On May 17, 2023, a French defence organisation, SAFRAN Group, opened a unit and began operations in Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerela). The unit was inaugurated by Kerela Industries minister P. Rajeev.
In a Facebook Post, Rajeev said SAFRAN plans to turn its first unit in Kerela into a space test centre in the Asia-Pacific region in the near future. He said the company also expressed an interest in forming an assembly and manufacturing unit for SAFRAN Space Products in Kerela itself.
The French Major (SAFRAN) also aims to produce 50 percent of its product required by the Indian Space Agency (ISRO) the minister said and added that it will give strength to Kerela’s effort to become the nation’s hub in the aerospace sector.
In July 2022, the organisation had announced the setting up of a production facility in Hyderabad, Telangana to produce parts and components for aircraft engines with an investment of 36million Euros, beside a big-ticket venture with the state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru.
After a meeting between the defence minister Rajnath Singh and SAFRAN CEO (Chairman) Oliver Andries, it was announced that the joint venture in Bengaluru will producer engines from helicopters, while the French company will also set up a MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility for Indian and foreign commercial aircraft.
