Thales, an aerospace and defence company, has inaugurated a new Inflight Entertainment (IFE) and Services Lab within its Engineering Competence Centre in Bengaluru, India. The facility is intended to support the development of IFE systems and advanced support tools for airlines. The lab aims to localise research and development activities and is expected to create job opportunities in the region.
“Today’s inauguration of Thales’s Inflight Entertainment and Services Lab at its Engineering Competence Centre reinforces Bengaluru’s position as a global innovation hub. It’s a testament to Karnataka’s robust aerospace and defence ecosystem. Thales’s footprint in India, particularly here in Bengaluru, is already substantial and has been contributing significantly towards the growth of aerospace, defence and cybersecurity & digital identity for years. Their Engineering Competence Centre has become an integral part of the local industry,” said MB Patil, Minister of Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka.
The inauguration was attended by MB Patil, Marc Lamy, Consul General of France in Bengaluru, Olivier Flous, Senior Vice President for Engineering and Digital Transformation at Thales, and Francois Colonna, Director of the Engineering Competence Centre in Bengaluru. Representatives from the French Embassy in India, Air India, and the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry also participated in the event.
Thales is a multinational technology company active in aerospace, defence, transportation, and security sectors. In India, it operates across a range of verticals including engineering, digital identity, and defence solutions.