July 14, 2011, New Delhi: The Alliance for US India Business (AUSIB) welcomes the decision of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) to focus on developing innovative models to foster bilateral growth opportunities in the civil aviation sector. This was decided at the HTCG’s eighth meeting held on July 11-12, 2011 in New Delhi, India. AUSIB urges both the countries to capitalize on the momentum and further US-India high-tech collaboration at this important juncture in the bilateral relationship.

The two countries would now work more closely in aviation sector and focus on aircraft and aircraft components, maintenance, repair and overhaul, aviation safety, security, air traffic management, and capacity building. AUSIB President, Mr. Sanjay Puri lauded HTCG’s efforts and said: “Since HTCG was established in 2002, defense and strategic trade between the two countries has grown significantly.” He went ahead to add that “in the past nine years the Group has made considerable progress in the IT, telecom, power and insurance sectors and the cooperation should now be extended further.”  

The topics discussed in this year’s Indo-US HTCG meeting included strategic trade ties, the US license regime impact on dual-use high-tech sector, especially on import of dual-use components inclusive of the ones used in the aviation sector, how to increase cooperation in R&D, commercialization, production and design. The meeting was lead by India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and US Under Secretary of Industry and Commerce Eric Hirschhorn.

India currently ranks ninth in the international civil aviation market and is expected to be among the Top-5 in the next five years. Airbus and Boeing forecast India’s demand for aircraft to exceed 1,000, worth over $130 billion in next 20 years.

About AUSIB: The Alliance for U.S. India Business (AUSIB) is a leading non-profit trade association that offers a pathway to help your business succeed in the United States and India. AUSIB seeks to augment investment flows and trade between the U.S. and India and open new channels of communication between business and government leaders. For more information please visit http://www.ausib.org

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