Hyderabad, March 24 (FN Agency) Wings India 2022, Asia’s largest event on civil aviation (Commercial, General and Business) kicked off at Begumpet Airport here on Thursday with the first day witnessing a chock full of activity. More than 125 international and domestic exhibitors along with 11 hospitality chalets, 15 plus country delegations and 29 plus States and UT’s are participating in the Indian aviation industry’s ace event. Some of the exhibitors participating in the event include Government of Telangana (Host State), Government of Haryana, CSIR – National Aerospace Laboratories, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh Airports Development, Airbus, Embraer, GMR Infrastructure Ltd., Pawan Hans Ltd., Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, Turbo Aviation. On the first day of the event , Airbus released its India Market Forecast and briefed about the A350.
IAF’s Sarang team performed spectacular helicopter aerobatics and wowed the gathering. National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) had a Demo Flight of NAL-Hansa NG, its two-seater Flying Trainer Aircraft. NAL also showcased its NAL-Octocopter with drone formation show. It also unveiled a SARAS-Mk II aircraft mockup and released its brochure. An agreement between CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories and M/s Scientech Technologies Pvt Ltd was also signed for “Technology Transfer on Multicopter Drones” for societal applications like medicine delivery, agriculture, earth surveillance (Octacopter, Hexacopter Quadcopter). Embraer displayed its largest commercial aircraft, the E195-E2 at Wings India 2022. With its stunning ‘TechLion’ livery, the E195-E2 was the cynosure of all eyes. The aircraft is the largest member of the new generation E-Jets family, the E-Jets E2, and is designed to seat up to 146 passengers in its signature two by two seating. Airbus showcased its long-haul aircraft A-350 at the static display. The company also displayed a scale model of its single aisle A220 aircraft, purpose-built for the 100-160 seat market. The day was marked with various panel discussions and round tables with senior Ministry officials and key policymakers, global experts, corporate leaders and other stakeholders.
A Round Table on ‘Helicopter Industry’ discussed the growth story of Indian Helicopter industry (India@75), the issues, challenges, and brainstorming solutions for the way ahead. Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and Urban Air Mobility emerged to be the use cases that are going to drive the future of the helicopter sector in India as per the panel. Ministry of Civil Aviation Joint Secretary Ms Usha Padhee, expressed her happiness to witness a full-scale participation of various delegations in the Wings India 2022, the biggest event of the ministry after the onset of COVID. She informed the panel that Helicopter Acceleration Cell is the government’s dedicated tool to engage with the sector to address and cater to the dynamics needs of helicopters and its operations in India. Mr Sunny Guglani, Co-Chair, FICCI General Aviation Taskforce & Head of Airbus Helicopters, India & South Asia, stated that Helicopter is the key thread of the fabric of aviation in India and mentioned that it’s an honor to start the Wings Aviation Show with the first roundtable on Helicopters.
Informing the roundtable panel about the return of commercial flights to pre-covid levels, Mr Guglani called for a ‘Vision 1000 Helicopters’ in India. Emergency rescue, Aerial work, Disaster response, and Airborne law enforcement were a few use cases that the panel discussed as critical for viewing Helicopters as a nation building tool, he added. The Business Aviation Roundtable focused on the use of General Aviation aircraft for a business purpose. Business Aviation being a part of General Aviation focuses on the business use of airplanes and helicopters. Mr Rohit Kapur, President of Jet HQ Asia said that business Aviation suffered during the COVID pandemic but has seen a huge demand for charter services. The demand for charter aircrafts is huge and the supply is not adequate, he said. He urged the Government to look for ways to make financial availability for people who want to enter the industry.