In a 1st, European company to source aircraft parts from Goa firm

Panaji: In the first collaboration between a European aerospace supplier and a Goan company for commercial planes, Austrian aerospace firm FACC AG has signed a seven-year agreement with Goa-based Kineco Aerospace & Defence to source structural parts for passenger aircraft.
The agreement was announced on the second day of the 2025 Paris Air Show, on Tuesday.

The multi-million deal sets in motion a 10-month phase of technical and operational coordination between FACC and Kineco. If executed, this partnership will integrate Kineco into FACC’s global supplier network. FACC’s annual revenues hit 884.5 million in 2024, and it counts Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Embraer among its customers.
“Kineco Group has been making strategic, forward-looking investments in state-of-the-art capabilities, global-scale capacity, and world-class manufacturing and governance practices,” said the founder and chairman of the Kineco Group, Shekhar Sardessai. “We are aligning with the evolving needs of Tier-1 companies and global commercial aircraft original equipment manufacturers.”

Air India and IndiGo placed orders for a total of 1,830 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. The parts manufactured at Pilerne are expected to find their way onto some of the aircraft that will be delivered to these two Indian carriers.

While India’s contribution to global commercial aviation is just around 2%, the country is actively working to increase its share in aerospace manufacturing.

“I take immense pride in this milestone — not just for Kineco, but for India’s larger ambition to become a globally competitive aerospace manufacturing hub,” Sardessai said. “It stands as a strong validation of India’s rising stature in the global aerospace value chain.”

FACC, which counts among the world’s leading suppliers of lightweight aerospace systems and components, used to source these parts from China and Paris.

The company indicated that its collaboration with Kineco is driven by a deliberate pivot to “globally competitive partners” who meet stringent benchmarks in quality, cost, delivery, and innovation.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been growing industry concerns over supply chain vulnerabilities and over-reliance on China.

Kineco Aerospace & Defence, a division of Kineco Limited, is part of Goa’s modest but steadily growing aerospace and composites manufacturing ecosystem. The firm worked on domestic defence and space programmes, including military contracts from BAE Systems and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), as well as the Indian Space Research Organisation’s satellite programme.