Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic eyes India as a 'home market’ amid stronger UK-India ties

Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer Tufan Erginbilgic is in India this week as part of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s industry delegation, a visit that marks a new chapter in the UK-India partnership following the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

As part of the official engagements, Erginbilgic underlined Rolls-Royce’s ambition to make India a “home market” — a move aligned with the company’s broader strategy to deepen its footprint in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

“We have deep ambitions to develop India as a home for Rolls-Royce, building on our strong and successful partnership,” said Erginbilgic. “Our competitively advantaged technologies across air, land, and sea applications position us to successfully build in-country capabilities and foster strategic partnerships that will accelerate India’s progress towards a Viksit Bharat.”

The visit comes as Rolls-Royce expands its role in India’s defence, civil aerospace, and energy sectors areas that are key to the nation’s goals of self-reliance, energy independence, and advanced connectivity infrastructure, including AI-enabled networks.

The company recently inaugurated its expanded Global Capability and Innovation Centre in India, which is set to become Rolls-Royce’s largest capability hub worldwide. The facility houses digital, engineering, and enterprise teams supporting its Civil Aerospace and Defence divisions, with plans to double its supply chain sourcing from India by 2030.

UK Prime Minister Starmer lauded the company’s growing India focus, saying, "Rolls-Royce is a symbol of British excellence, and their commitment to growing in India supports our Plan for Change – driving economic growth at home, creating jobs, and strengthening UK-India ties."

With over nine decades of presence in India, Rolls-Royce has built a strong local ecosystem of people, partnerships, and products. The firm aims to leverage this base to power, protect, and connect India “for decades to come,” aligning its global expertise with India’s long-term development goals.

In FY2024, Rolls-Royce reported an underlying revenue of £17.8 billion and an operating profit of £2.46 billion, as it continues its multi-year transformation into a high-performing, competitive, and resilient global enterprise.