GE Aerospace plans to nearly double its spending on Indian suppliers between 2025 and 2030, as it prepares for rising demand for aircraft engines, maintenance services and aerospace manufacturing in India.
The announcement, made on 12 October 2026, coincided with the release of a report by Ernst & Young (EY), titled Powering Progress: GE Aerospace’s Economic Impact in India. The report examines the company’s four decades of operations in India across commercial aviation, defence, manufacturing and engineering.
GE Aerospace spent approximately $200 million on its Indian supply chain in 2025. The planned increase in local procurement aims to expand domestic manufacturing capacity and support the growth of India’s aviation sector. Vikram Rai, CEO for South Asia at GE Aerospace, said the investment would strengthen the local supply chain, including component manufacturing in Pune and engineering operations in Bengaluru.
The company established its Pune manufacturing facility with an initial investment of $200 million. Since 2024, it has invested nearly $55 million to expand automation, improve precision manufacturing and strengthen workforce development. Its Indian supply chain includes 17 major domestic partners, including small and medium-sized enterprises, which are expected to benefit from increased procurement as demand for aircraft engines and related components rises.
GE Aerospace is also investing in manufacturing skills through its apprenticeship programme in Pune. Since 2015, the programme has trained approximately 5,000 production associates, with 400 to 500 new apprentices joining each year.
India’s domestic airlines generated approximately $19 billion in revenue in FY2025-26. Government projections cited by GE Aerospace indicate that domestic passenger traffic could increase from 340 million in FY2026 to 1.1 billion annually by 2040. The number of airports is projected to rise from 163 to more than 350 by 2047.
As of December 2025, GE Aerospace and its partners had more than 1,400 commercial engines powering airline operations in India. The company expects its engines to power most of the approximately 1,500 aircraft already on order with Indian carriers. According to the report, these aircraft orders represent a potential opportunity worth more than $5.5 billion for India’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry.
GE Aerospace’s Bengaluru Technology Centre, established in 2000 with an investment of $200 million, supports engine design, development and certification. The centre has secured more than 1,000 aviation patents and contributed to the development of the GE9X engine. Its engineers also support programmes involving the GE90, GP7200 and GEnx engines, as well as CFM International’s RISE technology demonstrator.
In the defence sector, GE Aerospace has partnered with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) since 1986 on LM2500 naval engines and F404-IN20 engines for the Tejas Mk1 light combat aircraft. A memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 covers the potential domestic manufacture of F414 engines for the Tejas Mk2 programme, subject to final agreements and approvals.
The planned increase in supplier spending builds on GE Aerospace’s existing manufacturing, engineering and defence operations in India. Its implementation will depend on aviation demand, supplier capacity and the expansion of the country’s aerospace manufacturing and maintenance ecosystem.