Westermeier to head Airbus in India, South Asia

European aerospace giant Airbus has appointed Jürgen Westermeier as President and Managing Director for India and South Asia. He will take over the role on September 1.

In this position, Westermeier will lead Airbus’ operations in India and South Asia across its commercial aircraft, defence and space, and helicopter businesses, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. He will be responsible for commercial aircraft sales and for expanding Airbus’ footprint in the region, including services, engineering, digital, innovation and training.

Airbus is manufacturing its military transport aircraft, the C-295, in India in collaboration with Tata. The same Airbus-Tata joint venture has also established a final assembly line for helicopters in the country. It produces Airbus’ best-selling H-125 civil helicopter for both domestic use and export to neighbouring countries.

Airbus also has a long-standing partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), collaborating on various space initiatives. On the commercial side, airlines in India have ordered more than 450 Airbus aircraft.

Westermeier currently serves as Executive Vice-President and Chief Procurement Officer at Airbus. He will succeed Rémi Maillard, who will take over as Executive Vice-President Engineering for Commercial Aircraft and Head of Technology at Airbus.

The company added that Westermeier will also work to further Airbus’ commitment to the ‘Make in India’ initiative by supporting campaigns aligned with this vision.