Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday expressed confidence that India would soon emerge as a leading global exporter of aviation components and products, and expressed his commitment to improve its robust manufacturing ecosystem in the sector.
“India has become a global trusted partner in aviation, which is going to be a strong vertical in the country,” Naidu told reporters after inaugurating “Wings India 2026,” Asia’s largest biennial civil aviation event, at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad. The theme of this year’s event is ““Indian Aviation: Paving the Future–From Design to Deployment, Manufacturing to Maintenance, Inclusivity to Innovation and Safety to Sustainability”. The event will conclude on January 31.
Organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and FICCI, it features an international exhibition, static aircraft displays, flying and aerobatic shows, a high-level international conference, CEO roundtables, B2B and B2G meetings, an aviation job fair, an awards ceremony, and cultural programmes at the Begumpet airport.
A total of 131 companies, including aircraft manufacturing companies such as Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Airlines such as Air India, Indigo, are participating in the event.
The aviation companies displayed their aircraft, including Hindustan 228 aircraft, Dhruv ALH-NG helicopter, and LUH civil helicopter by HAL, Falcon 6X by Dassault Aviation, H125, H160 ACH, A321 Neo and A220 by Airbus, E175 and E2195 Profit Hunter by Embraer.
In addition to the aircraft display, air shows featuring international and Indian aerobatic teams were also scheduled during the day. The globally acclaimed global stars aerobatic team, led by world-renowned aviator Mark Jefferies, delivered breathtaking formation and solo displays with the high-performance Extra 330SC aircraft.
Complementing this was the iconic Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) of the Indian Air Force—Asia’s only nine-aircraft aerobatic team—flying the indigenously manufactured Hawk Mk-132 jets.
The four-day mega event is expected to attract over 100,000 general visitors, more than 7,500 business visitors, 2,000 business delegates, and over 200 foreign delegates, an official statement said.
In a video message delivered during the event’s inauguration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will present itself with immense possibilities in several sectors in the next era of aviation.
“Aircraft manufacturing, pilot training, advanced air mobility, aircraft leasing, these are sectors where India presents itself with immense possibilities, and that is why this Wings India summit has become so important for all of us,” Modi said, adding that a historic transformation has taken place in India’s aviation sector over the last decade. He noted a time when air travel was limited to an exclusive club, but the situation has completely changed.
“Today, India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market. Our passenger traffic has grown very rapidly, and the fleet of Indian airlines is also expanding rapidly. In the past few years, Indian airlines have placed orders for more than 1,500 aircraft,” he said.
Modi attributed the rapid growth to the government’s long-term vision. “Air travel in India is no longer exclusive, but inclusive. Our mission is to ensure that every Indian citizen can easily travel by air, and that is why we have connected Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with airports,” he said.
The number of airports in India has risen to more than 160 from 70 in 2014, he said. “This means that in just one decade, India has built more than twice the number of airports. We have activated more than 100 aerodromes in the country and, along with this, we have launched the UDAN Scheme for affordable air travel for our citizens,” added the Prime Minister.
Modi announced that the government was working on the next phase of the UDAN Scheme. “This policy will further strengthen regional and affordable air connectivity, and along with all this, seaplane operations are also being expanded. Our endeavour is to improve air connectivity in every corner of India,” he said.
“I urge every country in the world, every industry leader, and every innovator to take full advantage of this golden opportunity. Become a long-term partner in our development journey and contribute to the growth of the world’s aviation sector. I invite investors from around the world to join us as co-pilots on India’s flight to success,” the PM concluded.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
