We are not trying for a monopoly: HAL chairman

State-owned defence and aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said today that it was not trying to monopolise the aerospace sector in the country.

Yesterday, the Vice-Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), its major customer, had stated that government focus and support for HAL was affecting the growth of private sector aerospace manufacturers. Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora had called for government policy changes to encourage the private sector in aerospace production, something he said was essential.

HAL chairman Ashok Nayak said even though the Navratna PSU had embarked on a massive expansion plan, which would entail an investment of over Rs 25,000 crore over the next 10 years, the company was increasingly trying to make use of the infrastructure developed by private aerospace manufacturers.

“We hope that we can do a lot more outsourcing by leveraging the expertise of private industries in India who have built the infrastructure. We would like to make use of that. We are in no way trying to do a monopoly and spend money for infrastructure that already exists in the country,” Nayak said.