Prime Minister Modi Announces Two Landmark Boeing Initiatives to Advance the Future of Aviation in India

• The Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, launches Boeing Sukanya Program for empowering women in Indian aviation.
• Inaugurates Boeing’s largest such aerospace engineering facility outside the United States – in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Bengaluru, India, January 19, 2024 – The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, today dedicated two landmark Boeing initiatives that promise to significantly advance India’s aerospace and defence industry.

Prime Minister Modi launched the Boeing Sukanya Program that aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector. The program will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and train for jobs in the aviation sector. For young girls, the program will create STEM Labs at 150 planned locations to help spark interest in STEM careers. The program will also provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots. Investments will support flight training curriculum, obtaining certifications, funding for simulator trainings, and career development programs.

Prime Minister Modi also officially commemorated the opening of the new state-of-the-art Boeing India Engineering & Technology Center (BIETC) campus in Bengaluru. Built with an investment of INR. 1,600 crore, the 43-acre campus is Boeing’s largest such investment outside the U.S., and will become a cornerstone for partnering with India on next generation products and services for the global aerospace and defense industry.

The Prime Minister was joined by Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Hon'ble Governor of Karnataka; Shri Siddaramaiah, Honorable Chief Minister of Karnataka; Shri R. Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition – Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Government of Karnataka, and Boeing Chief Operating Officer, Stephanie Pope, along with other senior Boeing executives.

“We are honored and privileged to support Prime Minister Modi’s transformative vision for India, and we are grateful to have him dedicate the Boeing campus to foster aerospace innovation in the country,” said David L. Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO.

Stephanie Pope, Chief Operating Officer, The Boeing Company, said, “We are thrilled for Prime Minister Modi to have personally launched the Boeing Sukanya Program. Together, we will help expand opportunity for women across India to pursue careers and leadership positions in the aviation sector.”

Over the years, Boeing India has grown its team in engineering and R&D talent to the largest number of employees in any country outside the United States, with more than 6,000 as of December 2023.

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About Boeing in India

Boeing is focused on delivering value to Indian customers with advanced technologies and is committed to creating sustainable value in the Indian aerospace sector – developing local suppliers, and shaping academic and research collaborations with Indian institutions. Boeing has strengthened its supply chain with more than 300 local companies in India and a joint venture to manufacture fuselages for Apache helicopters and vertical fin structures for the 737 family of airplanes. Annual sourcing from India stands at over $1 billion. Boeing currently employs over 6,000 people in India, and more than 13,000 people work with its supply chain partners. Boeing’s employee efforts and country-wide engagement serve communities and citizenship programs to inspire change and make an impact on more than 1.3 million lives. Learn more at www.boeing.co.in.