Au revoir, Aero India: Bengaluru bids goodbye to its biennial aero show

Bengaluru, Feb 14 (PTI) As soon as they entered, as if on cue, the crowd made a beeline to the stands from where they could get a better view of the aerial stunts on the final day of Aero India 2025 on Friday.

Their efforts were paid off: the pilots put on a breathtaking show. They rolled the aircraft, zigged and zagged them, flipped them over, and hovered vertically in them before dropping them down full speed, cutting through the sky like a bomb, only to flip them up back again. The daredevilry drew a collective gasp from the crowd.

The penultimate show at 10.30 am displayed the might of 10 aircraft, including the popular Russian aircraft Su-57 and the American F-16, Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL)’s LUH, HTT-40, LCA Mk-1A and IJT, Indian Air Force (IAF)’S Su-30 MKI and nine HAWKs manoeuvred by the famous The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL)’s Hansa and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s FTB.

In final aerial display, scheduled for 2.30 pm on Friday, which would also showcase 10 aircraft, American F-16 would be replaced with another American aircraft, KC-135.

Meanwhile, the exhibitors, thanks to the fifth-day fatigue and the pressing crowd, were seen putting their things together already, waiting to leave as soon as they can.

But mostly, the exhibitors were a happy lot.

Siddhant Singh Chauhan, Senior Manager, Business Communications of Boeing said he was thrilled because Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had stopped by Boeing stall on the inaugural day.

Chauhan said he also was happy with the response that the Boeing’s AI-driven presentation got. In what looked like a scene from sci-fi movie, people learnt about Boeing’s product portfolio in a sensor-activated transparent screen with the flick of their hands.

Vasilii Fainveits, CEO, CTO & Founder of Latvia-based Fixar, a software and aircraft design developing firm, said he found a perfect partner in Hyderabad-based Aksi Aerospace Group.

With their help, said Fainveits, he would be able to scale up the production of his ‘luxury’ drone Fixar 007, a fully autonomous, vertical take off and landing drone, giving them the advantage of pricing it cost effectively.

“We are also planning to name the drone Shiv, as a nod to one of my good friends who passed away recently and who happened to be Indian,” said Fainvveits to PTI.

Arjun Naik, Founder and CEO of Scandron, a Bengaluru-based logistics and surveillance drone manufacturer, who launched his 200-kg capacity logistic drone during Aero India 2025, felt the heat most as his drones were displayed right by the hangar, where the roar of the aircraft was almost a constant background noise.

“You get used to it, believe me,” Naik insisted to PTI, even as visitors to his stall instinctively closed their ears whenever flights roared past them.

Stalls displaying crowd-favourite things — like military outfits and SKAT souvenirs — were filled to the brim even on the last day. Especially SKAT souvenir stall, as has been the case on all days, saw a swell in the crowd every time the famous aerial acrobats put up a show.

While the first three days were meant for industry visitors, Thursday and Friday were open to the public. Despite the crowd the final began efficiently, and the security was oiled enough to make sure that the crowd were kept moving to prevent pile-ups at any point.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Bengaluru traffic. Despite a horde of traffic cops braving the pollution and heat, vehicles piled up. ‘X’ handle of Bengaluru Post, a hyper-local podcast spotlighting Bengaluru, reported with video that the spillover from Airport Road traffic choked the inner roads in Kodigehalli, Amruthahhalli and Jakkur.

More than 500 delegates from 84 countries, including foreign guests, Defence Ministers and service chiefs have participated in Aero India 2025, the biennial show that has emerged as Asia’s largest.

This year saw 931 exhibitors, including 782 Indians. This also included 58 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and 115 global CEOs.