Aero India 2025: Closing day sees thousands brave heat, dust to watch metal birds fly high

Bengaluru: Thousands thronged the Air Force Station, Yelahanka, on the last day of Aero India 2025, braving the afternoon heat and several dust devils, to get at least one good glance of the metallic winged aerial beasts up close.   

The intense heat had many families sit in groups or rush inside the quickly emptying but still air-conditioned exhibition halls, where exhibitors began packing up as early as 2 pm. People fanned themselves while seated inside the air-conditioned exhibition halls.

Many people were seen occupying unused buggies, seeking shade from the piercing sun, while others huddled under large umbrellas, squinting at the sky. First-timer Mahalakshmi, who visited from Bagalur with her two sons, couldn’t hide her excitement. “My sons love airplanes. We just want to see them up close and hear the loud sounds of them zooming by,” she said.

At Hall E, many youngsters circled Abhilasha Barak, India’s first woman combat aviator in the Indian Army, to seek advice about future prospects in the field.

A scientist from the Central Research Laboratory, Bharat Electronics Limited, who had visited the Aero show twice in the past, was most excited about the Su-57 and F-16. “The technological advancements on display were incredible, especially because we learn more than we possibly could through their websites,” he said.

Through the exhibition area, visitors stopped to click photos wherever they could. Plastic and paper waste overflowed from waste bins or in small heaps along the routes.

Air cargo employee and part-time photographer Tamura, a resident of Narita in Japan, who is visiting India for the first time, sported a telephoto lens around his neck. He noted that nine Hawk Mk132 aircraft flying as part of the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT), was most exciting. “In Japan and (United States of) America, only six aircraft fly together and do such formations. This was amazing to watch,” he said. 

While the crowd thinned out by 4 pm, traffic crawled for several hours before and during that time as vehicles stopped to drop or pick-up visitors across the short distance in front of the entrance to the exhibition area.

People watched the skies from wherever they could, including the steps of a nearby foot overbridge, bus stands, car sunroofs, and apartment terraces.

Part of the reason why traffic crawled for a few kilometres along Ballari Road,  was due to cars parked along the route and people craning their necks out to position their phones above their heads and capture the aerial displays.

BMTC buses were in great demand by commuters and even some exhibitors, who were seen waiting to board the buses to respective destinations with their boxes.

One such exhibitor from Faridabad, Haryana, expressed disappointment at the arrangements. “It was not a very good experience because the organisers did not provide us anything. We got nothing of what was agreed upon initially. We had to organise everything for ourselves, which was difficult,” he said.