26 February, 2019: Aerostructures Assemblies India (AAI) has secured a contract to manufacture the structural assembly for the Over Wing Doors (OWD) on the Airbus A321neo programme from Saab Aerostructures. AAI is a joint Venture between Aequs Aerospace and Saab AB. With this contract, Saab and AAI further cement their strong partnership. Production deliveries will start at the end of 2019 and ramp up in subsequent years.
The Over Wing Doors are a very important part of the aircraft used for emergency exits. In the A321Neo aircraft, there are 4 Over Wing Door. The structural assembly consists of machined aluminium parts which will be assembled by the AAI team in Belagavi, Karnataka and will be delivered to the Saab Aerostructures Assembly Line in Linköping, Sweden.
AAI has become a strong supply chain player for producing aerostructures assemblies in India. Door plugs for Airbus’ A321neo Cabin Flex configuration have been supplied by AAI since 2107 and have produced wing panels and D-nose assemblies for the A380 programme since 2014. Besides end products, its capabilities also consist of the development of assembly tools, jigs, and fixtures.
The AAI facility which is located within the Aequs SEZ which is the country’s first Notified Precision Engineering Special Economic Zone (SEZ), at Belagavi, Karnataka.