Wings India 2020 from March 12 to 15 in Hyderabad

Billed as Asia's largest exposition on civil aviation, Wings India 2020 will come alive at Hyderabad's Begumpet airport from March 12 to 15. Besides static displays of commercial, business, regional and cargo aircraft, the event will also see CEOs forum, conferences and more.

But the focus will also be on business. Over the next 20 years, Indian companies are estimated to acquire 2,100 new aircraft worth the US $ 290 billion.

“Three hundred business jets, 300 small aircraft and 250 helicopters are expected to be added to the current fleet of Indian carriers in the next five years,” informs the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has estimated that by 2022, the Indian aviation market will be third largest globally, after the United States and China. By 2040, the passenger traffic will grow from 315 million to 1.1 billion, as AAI Member (Operations) I N Murthy informed at a promotional event for Wings India 2020 here on Saturday.

AAI, he said, will invest US$ 3.5 billion over the next five years in airports and other related infrastructure. The land requirement is about 1.5 lakh hectares.

With only about 8% penetration, air travel offers huge potential for growth, as Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation put it. The number of aircraft of all types, which stood at 622 in March 2018 is projected to go up to 2,359 by March 2040.

Wings 2020 will feature a Global Aviation Summit, Global CEOs Forum, CEOs of airlines and airports. Sessions on cargo, logistics and security, drones, helicopters and general aviation are also on the agenda.

The last edition of the event, Wings India 2018 saw the participation of 14 airlines, 12 chalets, 285 G2B meetings, 10 countries, and 15 aircraft on static display including Phenom 300, Legacy 500, ATR 72, ATR 600 and Dornier. Over 700 delegates turned up for the event.