The 14th and latest edition of Aero India is scheduled during February 13-17, 2023. Exhibitors have evinced a keen interest in the air show and bookings for space were full more than a month before the event.
Aero India, among the largest air shows in the world, returns as a full-fledged edition in 2023 after an interval caused by the global pandemic. The event attracted a big response as soon as registrations started and a large number of exhibitors, both Indian and foreign, rushed to book their slots for the five-day biennial air show to be held at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru in Karnataka state of India between February 13 and 17.
As per the official website of Aero India 2023, nearly 600 Indian exhibitors and around 70 foreign exhibitors confirmed their participation by the first week of January. Exhibitors from 24 countries registered for the event till then.
An official statement from the organisers also said that the event for 2023 – which is the 14th edition – has received ‘tremendous response’. In fact, the space offered initially for the event was fully booked by December 2022. An additional hall, opened on December 31, has also been entirely reserved by exhibitors, said the organisers.
According to a statement from India’s Ministry of Defence – which is one among the organisers along with Department of Defence Production, Indian Air Force (IAF), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Department of Space, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and others – Aero India 2023 will combine a major trade exhibition of the Aerospace and Defence industries as well as aerial display by IAF and some other services.
“Besides global leaders and big investors in the Aerospace industry, the show will also see participation by think tanks from across the world. Aero India will provide a unique opportunity for exchange of information, ideas, and new developments in the aviation industry. In addition to giving a fillip to the domestic aviation industry, it would further the cause of Make in India,” the Ministry’s statement said.
Aero India 2023 will be conducted on the pattern of its pre-COVID-19 editions. The event, which is traditionally held for over five days, was reduced to a three-day event during the last edition in 2021 with the last two days – public viewing days – being cancelled due to the pandemic.
The 2021 edition was also unique as it was the world’s first hybrid exhibition wherein the business elements of the event were held in both physical as well as virtual modes. Delegates from 55 countries and more than 540 exhibitors had participated in Aero India 2021. The event also saw the signing of over 201 new MoUs, agreements and collaborations. Around 16,000 delegates attended the show.
Meanwhile, the organisers have announced the ticket prices for Aero India 2023. Business tickets will be available for Indian citizens at Rs 5,000 and US Dollars 150 for foreign nationals. Passes for both the exhibition and air display viewing area (ADVA) are priced at Rs 2,500 for Indians and US Dollars 50 for foreigners. Meanwhile, passes for ADVA alone could be obtained by Indian nationals for Rs 1,000 and foreign citizens for US Dollars 50.
Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai has said that Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi would be inaugurating Aero India 2023. The first three days of the event are reserved for business visitors and the last two are open to the general public.
The first edition of Aero India was held in 1996 and since then the event has earned international recognition and a steady rise in participation of exhibitors. Currently, it is the largest air show in Asia, said organisers.
The Ministry of Defence team led by Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary (DIP) and Cdr. Achal Malhotra VSM, CEO, Defence Exhibition Organization along with C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL met Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Vandita Sharma, IAS, Chief Secretary to Govt. of Karnataka and Gaurav Gupta, IAS, Addl Chief Secretary to Govt. of Karnataka last month. They also met Air Cmde Manoj Kumar Yadav AoC, Air Force Station, Yelahanka and discussed issues related to Aero India 2023.
