Fear of the novel coronavirus is set to reduce the scale of participation at Aero India 2021. Over 800 companies participated in the 2019 edition, but only 533 firms have signed up this year.
In 2019, according to information from the Press Information Bureau, 600 Indian companies and 200 foreign companies participated in the expo, which was spread over 28,398 square metres and included the participation of 61 aircraft.
However, enthusiasm has been tepid this year, with many international companies backing out and with industry personnel expressing reservations about the threat of Covid-19 at the event scheduled from February 3 to 5.
The Aero India website shows 458 Indian firms and only 75 foreign companies have signed on to participate.
Among the Indian bookings, 22 are by Bharat Electronics and its subsidiaries, 61 by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance and subsidiaries, about 20 departments of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), 24 divisions and centres of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and representatives from 19 ordnance factories.
Among the international firms, nine bookings are by US giant Lockheed Martin and its subsidiaries and other major players such as Boeing, Dassault, Lockheed Martin, Safran, BAE and Rolls-Royce.
However, Swedish giant Saab is conspicuously absent. In a statement to DH, the company, which is a contender for a 114 fighter aircraft contract for the Indian Air Force, said that t was abstaining from the event due to Covid-19.
“Due to the current situation and the travel advisories in different countries for the Covid pandemic, Saab will not be participating in the Aero India 2021 exhibition,” it said.
In contrast, Rémi Maillard, president and managing director, Airbus India and South Asia said: “You will see a full presence from Airbus at Aero India.”
Other firms also said they intend to send a standard contingent of executives and officers. However, Israeli firm Rafael said much of its presence will consist of models and displays, echoing the stance of some international firms.
Meanwhile, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) said it will deploy several products.
It is still unclear how many aircraft will be on display this year. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said no information was available on that as of yet.
There has been concern among members of Indian defence PSUs who are required to participate in Aero India. Several of them said that they were concerned that the event was going ahead despite the emergence of the more contagious UK variant of coronavirus.