Flagship airshow 'Wings India' to take off in Hyderabad today

‘Wings’ is the flagship airshow held every two years by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. Hyderabad has been hosting the event where industry leaders from around the world visit the city and get a chance to appreciate the progress achieved so far and understand the policy and infrastructure support offered by the State government for aerospace and defence industry.

The city is all set to host this year’s edition from March 12 to 15, which will showcase latest aircraft and enable industry ties as well. ‘Wings’ as a platform helped to highlight the vibrant aerospace manufacturing and engineering ecosystem in the State.

With over 1,000 MSMEs in the sector and abundant supply of skilled manpower, Telangana is today the most sought after investment destination for a large number of foreign aerospace and defence majors including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, GE, Safran, Pratt and Whitney, CFM, Elbit systems, Thales etc.

Praveen PA, director, Aerospace and Defence, Government of Telangana, told Telangana Today, “This year, we are having both ‘Wings India 2020’ and ‘Global Aviation Summit’ in Hyderabad. Given the Coronavirus situation a lot of foreign delegates are unable to attend the event. So we are arranging their participation via video conference.”

“We are extremely cautious of challenges arising out of



COVID-19 and are taking precautions, including keeping it strictly for business delegates and prohibiting entry of general public, children and older visitors. We also hope that the event will demonstrate how with adequate precautions and control measures core business can be facilitated in such challenging times,” noted Praveen.

The event has always enabled signing of MoUs and industry partnerships. It is anticipated that a large number of business deals will be discussed and fructified. A good number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), airlines, airports and State governments have their stalls this time. There will be airshows and aerobatics from Sarang Helicopter and other teams.

He added, there is also wide participation in the Ministerial Plenary from various State governments. However, access will be limited to only genuine business delegates and officials this time owing to thorough precaution.

There is a specific session on ‘Future of Aviation-Disruptive Technologies and UAVs’ where discussions on startups and innovations in aviation and aerospace will be taken up. Emerging Technologies department of State government and World Economic Forum is also arranging a separate event called ‘Medicines from Sky’, where demonstrations of usage of drones for medicines and organ transport is also planned.