After a gap of nearly a decade, the Aero India Show in Bengaluru is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Defence. Besides providing a platform for the display of both civil and military products, the show also highlights investment opportunities and development strides that India has made in both the sectors.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s engagement with the show began in 2008 when the first India Aviation show was held at Hyderabad’s Begumpet airport.
Exclusively organised for the civil aviation sector, the show saw the world’s largest aircraft — the Airbus A-380 — flying down to India along with the then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.
It was also possibly the first time that a separate civil aviation show was organised. The first edition of the civil aero show in 2008 then moved from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, where it focussed only on civil aviation.
A decade later in its 12th edition, the Aero India show again clubs civil and military aviation — based on the idea that many of the suppliers, be it aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, engine manufacturers like Rolls Royce and CFM and even maintenance organisations, cater to both the civil aviation and defence sectors.
With the Ministry of Civil Aviation using the tagline ‘The runway to a billion opportunities’, various public sector undertakings like the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Air India are participating to show the potential of the sector and the environment.
Air India has on static display an Airbus A-320 New Engine Option aircraft, the latest aircraft flying globally. Its new engines burn 15 per cent less fuel, thus ensuring less environmental pollution. On its part, the AAI is showcasing the capabilities of the Indian Aviation Academy (IAA), a training institute.
With domestic aviation recording double digit-growth for over 51 consecutive months, the need for organisations like the IAA is becoming more pronounced as it is estimated that the Indian aviation sector will require 1,09,000 additional resources by 2020.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is also organising seminars during the show, some of which will focus on manufacturing in the country, possibly to take forward the government’s Make in India programme.