The old tarmac at Begumpet airport, which once handled Hyderabad’s daily flights, turned into a festival ground as Wings India 2026 opened its gates to the public on Friday (January 30, 2026), drawing visitors from across Telangana in a steady, smiling stream.
From around 10 a.m., the entrance filled with families and groups of friends, children perched on their parents’ shoulders for a better view, grandparents walking slowly but determinedly, and youngsters craning their necks at the sight of aircraft tails rising above the boundary wall, all eager for their first close look at the machines they usually only spotted as tiny specks in the sky.
For Devender, who had travelled all the way from Warangal, this was a long-promised family outing. With his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter in his arms and his wife Kamati cradling their eight-month-old son, he pointed excitedly towards the aircraft lined up on display. “We take our children to the balcony and point at the sky whenever a plane passes over our house. I wanted them to see what aeroplanes look like in real life, so I brought them here,” he said.
His younger child, barely visible inside a soft baby blanket, followed his father’s finger upwards and broke into a wide smile. Devender laughed as a helicopter thundered overhead. “I love that noise. Earlier I used to visit by myself. This is the first time I am here with my wife and children and I am so happy we could make it,” he said.
A few metres away stood Rithika, revisiting a piece of her childhood. Now grown up, she had brought her parents back to the show they once took her to every year. “It’s like an unsaid tradition in our family. My parents always brought me here,” she said. Her mother watched a towering aircraft with familiar delight. “We love seeing these huge planes. We have been coming for so many years,” she said with a smile.
For some visitors, however, it was a first in the most literal sense. Sitesh stood between his 80-year-old mother and 78-year-old aunt, gently guiding them across the display area. Though lifelong residents of Hyderabad, they had never before visited the show.
“This time, our relative insisted we come,” he said.
When they reached the parked Boeing 787 Dreamliner, both women stopped in their tracks. Looking up at the sweeping wings and towering tail, Sitesh’s mother broke into a shy, astonished smile. “Pehli baar itna bada plane dekh kar khushi toh ho rahi hai (I am feeling happy on seeing such a huge plane for the first time in my life),” she said. Her sister nodded beside her with an emotional smile.
Elsewhere, a group of college students admitted they had bunked classes for the day. Their timing was perfect. Just as they reached the open viewing area, the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team roared overhead, red-and-white jets slicing the sky in tight formation.
Cheers erupted and phones shot up in unison. “This is so cool!” one of them shouted, his voice almost lost in the thunder above. Ritwik, another student, said they had been waiting eagerly for the visit. “There are more aircraft than the previous years. It’s an unreal feeling to be here,” he said.
Among the crowd was Priya, who hopes one day to sit inside a cockpit as a pilot. “Whenever a plane passes in the sky, I always stop and look at it,” she said. “To see these beautiful jets right in front of my eyes is like a dream. One day, I want to fly one of these.”
As announcements crackled over the loudspeakers for the next aerial display, the crowd instinctively paused. Conversations fell silent, heads tilted upwards and hundreds of hands held phones aloft. Some visitors even made video calls to relatives in distant cities and countries, turning their screens towards the sky to share the spectacle live.
Back on the ground, children queued for miniature aircraft toys and aviation caps at merchandise stalls, while parents debated which souvenir would best capture the day.
Curated by Aisha Patel
