- Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, launches Boeing Sukanya Program for empowering women in Indian aviation.
- Inaugurates Boeing’s largest such aerospace engineering facility outside the United States – in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, dedicated two landmark Boeing initiatives that promise to significantly advance India’s aerospace and defence industry.
Prime Minister launched the Boeing Sukanya Program that aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector. The program will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and train for jobs in the aviation sector. For young girls, the program will create STEM Labs at 150 planned locations to help spark interest in STEM careers. The program will also provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots. Investments will support flight training curriculum, obtaining certifications, funding for simulator trainings, and career development programs.
Modi also officially commemorated the opening of the new state-of-the-art Boeing India Engineering & Technology Center (BIETC) campus in Bengaluru. Built with an investment of INR. 1,600 crore, the 43-acre campus is Boeing’s largest such investment outside the U.S., and will become a cornerstone for partnering with India on next generation products and services for the global aerospace and defense industry.
The Prime Minister was joined by Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka; Shri Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka; R. Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition – Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Government of Karnataka, and Boeing Chief Operating Officer, Stephanie Pope, along with other senior Boeing executives.
“We are honored and privileged to support Prime Minister Modi’s transformative vision for India, and we are grateful to have him dedicate the Boeing campus to foster aerospace innovation in the country,” said David L. Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO.
Stephanie Pope, Chief Operating Officer, The Boeing Company, said, “We are thrilled for Prime Minister Modi to have personally launched the Boeing Sukanya Program. Together, we will help expand opportunity for women across India to pursue careers and leadership positions in the aviation sector.”
Over the years, Boeing India has grown its team in engineering and R&D talent to the largest number of employees in any country outside the United States, with more than 6,000 as of December 2023.
