Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday called on global aerospace companies to expand manufacturing in the state, saying Telangana has emerged as one of the emerging aerospace manufacturing destinations in the world.
In his inaugural address at the three-day Aeromart-2026 International Convention at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Uttam Kumar Reddy, a former fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, said Telangana offers world-class infrastructure, skilled workforce and an industry-friendly governance model, and assured investors of full policy support.
The conference was attended by more than 1,200 international delegates, including global aviation leaders, diplomats, OEMs, defense companies and procurement chiefs from more than 400 companies in 25 countries.
He said that the aviation sector remained close to his heart long before he entered public life, as he flew supersonic aircraft, including the MiG-21 and MiG-23, in addition to having opportunities to fly the Mirage 2000.
“In aviation there is absolutely no margin for error,” he said. “One component or one seal can determine the difference between mission success and failure.”
The Minister said that Telangana has made rapid progress in the last two and a half years from being a strong regional player to a globally recognized aerospace manufacturing hub. He noted that the state constantly attracts investments from major aviation countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Israel and Canada.
Highlighting the state’s growing international footprint, Uttam Kumar Reddy said many world-famous aviation products are already manufactured in Telangana.
These include the cabin of the US presidential helicopter produced by Tata Sikorsky Aerospace, the fuselage of Apache attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing, the wings of the F-16 fighter jet produced by Lockheed Martin, and complex aero-engine components and MRO systems developed by Safran, GE Aerospace, and Honeywell.
“Products bearing the ‘Made in Telangana’ label today fly on some of the most advanced aircraft in the world,” he said.
Listing the recent milestones, the minister said that Telangana last month laid the foundation for ITP Aero’s manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, marking the first Spanish investment in aerospace manufacturing in India.
He also noted that just a day ago, the government inaugurated FTG Aerospace’s manufacturing facility at GMR Aerospace Park, marking the first Canadian aerospace company to establish operations in Telangana.
He said the large participation of French and Italian companies in Aeromart 2026 also demonstrated Hyderabad’s growing reputation among global aerospace manufacturers.
The Minister also highlighted Hyderabad’s unique ecosystem comprising DRDO laboratories, defense public sector projects, research institutions and private industries, making it a natural hub for innovation, defense technology and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services.
Linking Telangana’s achievements to India’s vision of self-reliance, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the country is making a significant contribution to defense indigenization while enhancing India’s integration into global aerospace supply chains.
He said Telangana’s aerospace and defense industry has registered an annual growth of around 30% over the past few years.
“Most surprising is that aviation, aerospace and defense exports grew by an unprecedented 103 per cent over the previous year, overtaking the pharmaceutical sector – the state’s traditional export leader – for the first time,” he said.
Telangana has become one of India’s largest and best-supported aerospace and defense clusters and will continue to receive priority attention from the government, he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy urged delegates to leverage Aeromart’s globally recognized business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking platform to forge meaningful partnerships with existing industries in Telangana. Emphasizing the state’s investor-friendly approach, he assured local and international companies that the Telangana government remains fully committed to supporting the industry
