Article Posted on : - Feb 19, 2009

Dornier Do-228 is a light transport aircraft. HAL image

KANPUR (PTI): Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Ashok Baweja handed over the first batch of spares and parts for the assembly of Dornier 228 aircraft to German's Ruag Aerospace Service Managing Director Wolfagag Newman here.

HAL is building parts of the aircraft for Germany, from where India had bought the aircraft in the 80s.

Baweja said that HAL and RAS had signed an MoU for supply and manufacture of spares and equipment of the Dornier 228 and 212 aircraft in March 2008.

He said that RAS will assemble 20 different types of parts of the aircraft supplied by HAL, Kanpur and assemble it there.

Baweja added that HAL was made a partner by RAS because of its long experience in assembling and production. He said the certification of HAL's products was done by the European Aviation Safety Agency in January 2009 and HAL Kanpur became the first agency in the country to receive this certification.

The work assigned by the German company was completed by HAL much before the March 2009 deadline set by it.

HAL Kanpur Director Jagdish Raj said that Governments of India and then West Germany had signed an agreement on November 29, 1983 for manufacture of a light transport aircraft.

He added that Germany had stopped the production of these aircraft but HAL, Kanpur was still successfully producing it here.