Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez touched down in Vadodara, Gujarat, early Monday morning for his first official trip to India, arriving around 1:30 am, according to officials. Sanchez will head to Mumbai on Tuesday before departing back to Spain.

On Monday morning, Sanchez is set to join Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a roadshow and co-inaugurate the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) manufacturing facility. The roadshow, spanning 2.5 km from the airport to the TASL site, will feature various cultural performances along the route.

Afterward, both leaders will visit the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace, where they are scheduled to hold bilateral talks facilitated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and enjoy lunch at the palace. Sanchez is expected to return to Spain around 12:30 am on Wednesday.

The leaders will jointly open the new TASL complex in Vadodara, where the manufacturing of C-295 military aircraft will take place. Under an agreement, Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft to India, while 40 will be produced locally at the Vadodara facility, marking India’s first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military planes.

The TASL facility will support the full production cycle of the aircraft, from assembly and testing to delivery and lifecycle maintenance, fostering a complete aerospace ecosystem. Several prominent defense industry partners, including Bharat Electronics, Bharat Dynamics, and various small and medium-sized enterprises, will contribute to this initiative.

Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara assembly line in October 2022, signaling a milestone in India’s defense manufacturing capabilities.