The biennial aviation event, Wings India, will kick off in Hyderabad on Thursday, bringing together business leaders and policymakers. The event is taking place in the backdrop of record domestic air traffic growth in 2023. The government is expected to use the occasion to showcase India’s growth story and attract new investments.

Twenty five aircraft and helicopters will be on display at the Begumpet airport — the highest so far. These include Air India’s Airbus A350, a Boeing 777-9, and IndiGo’s Airbus A321 freighter. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will display its Dornier-228 aircraft and upgraded Dhruv helicopter.

The four-day event, organised by the Civil Aviation Ministry and FICCI, will also witness the signing of agreements in sustainability and aviation training. Low-cost carrier Akasa Air is expected to announce its order for Boeing 737 Max aircraft. This will be a shot in arm for Boeing, which is facing flak after a door plug fell off an Alaska Air aircraft recently.

According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, the theme of the 2024 edition is ‘Connecting India to the World in Amrit Kaal’, and the event will chart a course towards making India an international aviation hub. Other focus areas will be capacity building, sustainability, and advanced air mobility. 

The event will also see participation of ministers from seven countries, including Cambodia, Fiji, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Tanzania. Sweden’s state secretary Johan Davidson will announce a partnership between an Indian aviation company and a Swedish innovation company to jointly develop sustainable solutions for aircraft.

“India is not only the fastest growing aviation market in the world but also contributing strongly to the global industry,” said Remi Maillard, president and managing director, Airbus, India & South Asia.

Domestic airlines flew 152 million passengers in CY2023, beating the pre-pandemic high of 144 million recorded in 2019. Fleet size of Indian carriers rose to 771 as they added 112 aircraft last year. However supply chain issues are also posing challenges to carriers. Airlines globally are extending leases. Availability of aircraft in secondary lease market too has dwindled. Besides that airlines also face infrastructure constraints.

“When it comes to reforms, government needs to take a holistic view and not take a piecemeal approach. We are adding aircraft but airport infrastructure needs to keep pace to cater to growth. Adequate manpower needs to be in place for efficiency,” said Vishok Mansingh, CEO of Vman, an aircraft-leasing firm.

Business aircraft manufacturers too are seeking better infrastructure to support growth. “India is going through a transition stage of becoming the 3rd largest economy. The demand of business aircraft is surging as it is slowly becoming a business tool rather than luxury. Having said that, there are infrastructure issues that needs to be addressed and we believe it would Dedicated business aviation fixed base operators with parking are need of the hour. This would catapult the business aviation to the next level to the likes of US and Europe. This today is both challenge and an opportunity,” said Abhisshek Sinha, sales director, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

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