Aero India 2021, a three-day mega event to showcase the prowess of the aviation industry will begin from Wednesday in Bengaluru.

The Aero India-2021 will be inaugurated by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and will commence with a flying display at Yelahanka Air Force Station.

Inspired by the Prime Minister’s call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the flying display will feature formations showcasing India’s cutting edge technology and capabilities in the aerospace sector.

Aero India 2021 is being organized this year amidst the challenging circumstances created by the COVID-19 situation.

Speaking at the curtain raiser press conference on Tuesday, defence minister Singh commended the organization of the biennial event this year amidst such challenges.

He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and said the defence ministry was relentlessly giving impetus to domestic manufacturing of defence equipment, not only to fulfil the demands of our armed forces, but also to make India a net exporter of defence equipment and platforms to friendly foreign countries.

He appreciated the conducive ecosystem and climate for investors created in Karnataka through the entrepreneurial spirit of its people.

He said the award of a huge contract of Rs. 48,000 crores to HAL was because of this spirit.

Rajnath Singh also spoke about the distinguishing takeaways of Aero India 2021.

Technological base and presence of industry leaders associated with Aviation cement the bonds between Bengaluru and Aero India 2021.

He said set against the backdrop of Bengaluru, the event would offer opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between Indian and global industry leaders, academicians, visionaries, centre and state administrations.

It would also bring together the defence ministers of various countries, service chiefs, policymakers, foreign OEMs, industry, entrepreneurs and academia to showcase, connect and collaborate as well as highlight policy reforms driving India’s new defence manufacturing revolution.

He further said that Aero India would spark a renewed sense of pride in India’s defence manufacturing and take defence cooperation to the next level.

Speaking on the COVID-19 pandemic, he added that countries were forced to impose restrictions to protect human lives.

Singh said while organizing Aero India 2021 all COVID-19 related advisories issued by the Union home and health ministries and state government regarding the use of masks, social distancing, RT PCR tests would be strictly followed.

He added that due to these restrictions this edition of Aero India would be a purely business event and there would be no public days.

He said limited access to the aero shows would be provided to the public based on online bookings.

Singh said a dedicated virtual platform has been created to facilitate public participation.

He said Aero India 2021 promises to be the world’s first hybrid aero and defence exhibition with a concurrent exhibition integrating seminars, Business to business events, product displays, etc.