“Sky’s The Limit”: Rishi Sunak On Air India Deal With Airbus, Rolls Royce

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, welcomed a “momentous deal for Airbus and Rolls-Royce” to supply new aircraft to Air India on Tuesday. According to an official statement, the agreement will support and create highly skilled jobs in Wales and Derbyshire, as well as help boost exports and grow the economy. The Tata group will buy 250 aircraft from Airbus, in what is the world’s largest aviation deal in history.

“The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch have welcomed a momentous deal for Airbus and Rolls-Royce to provide new aircraft for Air India, which is worth billions of pounds to the UK,” UK’s Department for International Trade said in a press release.

“The agreement announced this morning (Tuesday 14 February) by the companies will support and create new highly skilled jobs in Wales and Derbyshire, helping to boost exports, grow the economy, and level the UK,” it added.

According to the press release, a significant portion of the new aircraft’s manufacturing will take place in the United Kingdom.

“The wings will be designed in Filton and assembled in Broughton, bringing an additional 450 manufacturing jobs and more than £100 million to Wales. The large A350 planes are powered solely by Rolls-Royce XWB engines, which are assembled and tested in Derby “According to the press release.

The UK’s aerospace sector added £10.6bn in value to the UK economy in 2021 and employed 111,000 high-skilled people, it added.

The UK’s Department for International Trade in the press release noted, “India is a major economic power, projected to be the world’s third-largest economy with a quarter of a billion middle class consumers by 2050. We are currently negotiating a free trade agreement that would boost our £29.6 billion trading relationship.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the Air India deal with Airbus and Rolls-Royce shows “sky’s the limit” for the UK’s aerospace sector.

“This landmark deal between Air India, Airbus and Rolls-Royce demonstrates that the sky’s the limit for the UK’s thriving aerospace sector,” Mr Sunak said.

“It will create better-paid jobs and new opportunities in manufacturing hubs from Derby to Wales, so we can grow the economy and support our agenda to level up – helping to deliver on my five priorities for the country,” he added.