Over 40 countries are sending delegations to the seventh edition of the Aero Show
Aero India 2009, at Bangalore over February 11-15, is the seventh edition of the Aero India exhibitions which started in 1996. The seventh show is expected to be even bigger than the sixth show which was almost 70 per cent larger in terms of area and participation than the previous show. The growth in Aero India in 2007 and 2009 can be attributed to the overall economic growth of the country, global recognition of India as an important player in the world scenario, the increasing strength of Indian industry, the modernization plan of the armed forces and offset provisions.
Aero India is one of the most important air shows in this part of the world and provides an excellent opportunity for viewing the latest in aeronautical and aerospace systems. Over 600 companies, including around 300 firms from about 25 countries, will be displaying their range of products and technologies. We will also have five country pavilions. I would like to emphasize that the growth is more than 20 per cent over the last show despite the global recession having set in. Aero India is also a forum for interaction of important dignitaries and decisionmakers from different parts of the world. More than 40 countries have confirmed that they will be sending official delegations, including 15 ministerial delegations.
What makes an aero show different from any other exhibition is the static as well as dynamic display of crafts. We are going to have participation from the US, Europe and Russia for both static and dynamic displays. These displays make the aero show extremely attractive to the general public also. I expect large participation by the public in viewing these displays from a special area made for the public, viz., Air Display Viewing Area (ADVA).
I would also like to mention the new initiatives of Aero India 2009. We have introduced web-based interface for scheduling B2B meetings. Our website, www.aeroindia.in, has got an excellent response – resulting in over 275,000 hits so far. You will appreciate that, for a business portal, it is quite a substantial number. Further, we have participation from IIT Chennai, IIT Powai and some other institutions which will exhibit student-based projects on space. We are also going to invite students from various schools in Bangalore and explain various fields of aviation and the aviation industry.
The most important aspect of Aero India 2009 is going to be vastly improved infrastructure of the show which you will see to be of international standard. I expect that the Confederation of Indian Industries, our event manager, will use its knowledge base to make the event the best Aero Show in Asia.
The writer is Minister of State for Defence Production
Over 600 companies, including 300 firms from 25 countries, will be displaying their products and technologies….The growth is more than 20 per cent over the last show despite the global recession having set in
