International meet weighs in on India’s expanding aerospace sector

Bengaluru: The ninth edition of the International Conference on Future of Aviation and Aerospace (FOAA) held on Saturday in Bengaluru brought together industry leaders, policymakers, researchers and entrepreneurs to deliberate on the future of India’s rapidly expanding aviation and aerospace sector, especially with Bengaluru emerging as a focal point in the discussions.

Hosted by IIM Bangalore (IIMB) in partnership with TBS Education (France), the summit examined India’s market potential, indigenous manufacturing, airport infrastructure, talent development and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the sector.

In her inaugural address, Annett Baessler, Deputy Consul General at the German Consulate in Bengaluru, underscored the city’s strategic role in strengthening India-Europe aviation ties. She noted that India had become one of Airbus’ largest engineering hubs outside Europe and said Bengaluru was central to that growth.

This was followed by a keynote address by the CEO of Lufthansa Systems India Luigi Celmi, who advised the new entrants to the industry to keep pace and enjoy the dynamic personal growth that comes with being part of the evolution of the aviation ecosystem.

Panel discussions

Overall, the event saw six panel discussions. The first one focused on market potential, with executives from Akasa Air, Air India and industry consultants describing Indian aviation as being at an “inflection point”.

“Expansion of airports, digitisation, modernisation of airspace, MRO development, and opportunity to build good talent meant that this sector was entering its golden era in India,” said Belson Coutinho, COO, Akasa Air, adding that these factors led to the founding of Akasa Air.

The subsequent panel examined the ‘Make in India’ push, with officials from Collins Aerospace, Mahindra Aerospace, Sasmos Group, and AeroEdison, provided insight into the developments within their respective companies. 

The other panels focused on ‘Design and manufacturing in India for the global aerospace’, ‘Future opportunities and challenges in talent development’ and ‘Future of AI and analytics’. 

Another key discussion centred on the future of airports and aviation infrastructure, complete with a presentation by Wing Commander Jitender Singla, Head of Airside Operations, Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), on the upcoming expansions at the airport. 

As a part of this discussion, Professor G Raghuram, former Director, IIMB, also shared a study comparing the operations at major Indian airports run by the Airport Authority of India to the airports operating under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. 

“In general, PPP airports have higher passenger experience ratings, demonstrate stronger performance in responsiveness, decision making and coordination, extract value by monetising and commercialising airport land, emphasise long-term partnerships with airlines and retail operators, and enhance capacity by building new terminals and improving airside and city-side infrastructure,” he shared.