Mahindra Aerostructures Bags Airbus Contract to Manufacture A320neo, A321XLR Fuselage Skins in Bengaluru
Mahindra Aerostructures Pvt. Ltd. (MASPL), part of the Mahindra Group, has been awarded a contract by Airbus to manufacture and supply fuselage skins for the A320 family of aircraft. The components will be manufactured at Mahindra Aerostructures' facility in Bengaluru and supplied to Airbus' manufacturing facility in Augsburg, Germany.
The agreement covers a total of 11 fuselage skins, comprising eight for Section 18 and three for Section 19 of the A320neo and A321XLR aircraft, covering parts of the rear fuselage and tail sections. Initial engineering activities, including tooling design, process-flow updates, qualification and inspection, are already underway, with final deliveries targeted for 2028. The contract value has not been disclosed.
The programme will require Mahindra Aerostructures to expand its specialised manufacturing capabilities through investments in advanced chemical milling, surface treatment and stretch-forming production lines at its Bengaluru facility. One of the key developments under the programme will be the introduction of stretch-forming capability in India, a manufacturing process used to shape large metal sheets into the aerodynamic contours required for aircraft skin panels while maintaining structural properties.
Vinod Sahay, President, Mahindra Aerospace, Advanced Technologies and Trucks & Buses, said the manufacture of fuselage skins for the A320 family requires advanced process capabilities and precision at scale.
The latest contract builds on a long-standing relationship between Airbus and Mahindra Aerostructures, which has previously secured contracts to manufacture and assemble the main fuselages of the Airbus H125 and H130 helicopters. The development is part of India's broader push to move beyond supplying smaller aerospace components and establish capabilities for manufacturing increasingly complex aircraft structures.