Airbus sees liftoff for turboprops in India's short-haul skies: Westermeier

Airbus sees strong growth for regional aircraft in India, countering Boeing's scepticism and backing turboprops like ATR to support UDAN-led connectivity

European aircraft maker Airbus believes the regional turboprop market in India will grow and further democratise the country’s aviation ecosystem, its President and Managing Director (MD) for India and South Asia Jürgen Westermeier, said on Thursday.

 

On Wednesday, Ashwin Naidu, MD of marketing for India and Eurasia at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the number of regional jets in India is unlikely to exceed 10 even over the next 20 years, as their cost per seat on a route does not work for most airlines.

 

These comments from Airbus and Boeing come after Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer and Adani Defence & Aerospace on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a regional jet manufacturing facility in India.

 

Regional jets, such as Embraer’s E175 and E195, are faster and quieter than turboprops and usually carry 76–124 passengers. Regional turboprops, such as the ATR 42 and ATR 72, are more fuel-efficient and economical on short, low-demand routes, carrying 42–78 passengers. 

During a press conference at the Wings India 2026 summit on Thursday, Westermeier said: “We generally see the regional market and regional air traffic as a good opportunity for further growth and democratisation. In the wider Airbus portfolio, we have ATR (regional turboprop) as a product which, in my opinion, is superior in supporting regional traffic. There is an existing ecosystem to support ATR aircraft. The competitiveness is excellent.”

 

“I can truly state that we are ready to explore with Indian partners and the government options on how we can support the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme in the regional market with the right product,” he added.

 

In India, Airbus is structurally better positioned in the regional aviation segment than Boeing because of its strategic link to ATR, the Franco-Italian turboprop manufacturer in which Airbus holds a 50 per cent stake. Through ATR, Airbus has exposure to the sub-90-seat market that dominates regional connectivity in India, where turboprops such as the ATR 42 and ATR 72 are widely used because of their lower operating costs, fuel efficiency, and ability to operate from short runways and smaller airports. IndiGo and Alliance Air operate ATR aircraft in India.

 

Boeing, by contrast, has no dedicated regional jet or turboprop aircraft in its commercial portfolio, with its product line focused on larger narrowbody and widebody jets such as the 737, 777, and 787 families.

 

Naidu said on Wednesday that regional jets face economic and airport capacity challenges in India, as routes quickly outgrow small aircraft, making single-aisle planes more viable for long-term operations.

 

“Going forward, we continue to maintain that regional jets are a challenge in India’s aviation market because, to succeed, you need seat-mile economics, which is basically taking the cost to operate a flight and dividing it by the number of seats. That is a challenge even with larger aircraft, and it becomes an even bigger challenge with regional jets,” he said.

 

“And when you look at airports in India that are already constrained and congested, you want to use higher-capacity aircraft. Regional jets may look good in the first year or two of operation, but the market quickly outgrows them. Ultimately, India’s aviation market requires single-aisle economics,” he added.