Bangalore, July 21 (IANS) Airbus Industrie has selected India’s leading private aerospace engineering firm Quest as its a preferred supplier of aircraft parts, the company said Wednesday.

‘We have become the first Indian private firm to manufacture aircraft parts directly to Airbus under a long-term agreement. We have been selected as a preferred supplier after a stringent selection process,’ Quest chairman Aravind Melligeri said in a statement here.

The Bangalore-based Quest designs and manufactures aero structures, accessories, actuation systems, aircraft interiors and ground support systems from its facility at Belgaum in north Karnataka, about 600 km from here.

‘We are recognised as a quality supplier to the aerospace industry through the AS-9100 certification received for both engineering services and manufacturing practices,’ Melligeri noted.

The company’s integrated manufacturing facility has machining, sheet metal processing, assembly and special processing through a joint venture with Magellan Aerosapace, a leading Canadian supplier of aircraft systems and components.

As preferred supplier, Quest will execute various projects to Airbus the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) consortium formed in 2000 by the merger of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG of Germany, Aerospatiale Matra of France and Construccinones Aeronautics SA of Spain.

‘The new status reflects the strength and strategic importance of our manufacturing capabilities to provide end-to-end solutions to Airbus,’ Melligeri added.