Interview | Vice president, Boeing Defence, Space & Security, India, Michael Koch

This has been an unusual year. How did Boeing adapt to new realities dictated by the Covid-19 pandemic?

Covid-19 has impacted the entire aerospace industry and has changed the way we live and work. In these challenging times we can draw lessons from previous health and economic crises. In the past, the companies that made the quickest and most sustained recoveries after economic shocks were those that maintained core operations through the crisis in the safest manner possible, focused on employees, customers and supplier relationships, and by managing their liquidity well. This has been Boeing’s focus in India and around the world.

At Boeing in India, our focus has been to build safety standards into all dimensions of our operations and supply chains, and to partner closely with our customers, suppliers and employees. As a result of our focus on safety and core operations, our teams are able to find ways to operate during the pandemic to ensure that our defence customers receive timely and reliable services for their fleets.

From Boeing’s perspective, how is Aero India 2021 different from its previous editions in terms of your exhibits and participation?

We look forward to participating at Aero India again. Given the current environment, we have designed our presence taking all necessary precautions to safely engage with our customers, suppliers and the media. Our presence at the show will also conform to the guidelines laid down by the ministry of defence and the state government to ensure the safety of our team members and visitors at the exhibit.

Boeing is committed to support India’s considerable growth in the aerospace sector including aircraft, infrastructure expansion, and services. At Aero India, we will continue our discussions on India’s future aviation, defence, and security requirements, as we leverage and develop in-country manufacturing and engineering skills. We will be demonstrating our commitment to India and highlighting our strategic investments in developing India’s aerospace ecosystem. Boeing will showcase its capabilities in multi-role fighter aircraft, vertical lift platforms, aerial multi-role tankers, unmanned systems, and commercial platforms, in addition, to its services, technologies, and local sustainment capabilities. Boeing’s exhibit will feature a range of advanced capabilities including the F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, the new F-15EX, KC-46 Tanker, AH-64E Apache, P-8I, 737-10, and the 787-9 Dreamliner.

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Post 2020, how do you see the defence sector growing in India in 2021?

We remain confident in the long-term growth trajectory for India’s defence sector. The pandemic created some challenges in the short term, not just in India, but around the world. India has very important security and defence modernisation requirements and it has a dynamic ecosystem of growing companies and technical talent. I actually think our sector showed remarkable resilience and as we come out of the 2020 slowdown, defence modernisation imperatives will be driven with efficiency in capital budget utilisation and delivering mor