New Delhi, 10th June 2024:

This week in Delhi, top aviation leaders across the world will assemble together to attend the inaugural Aviation India Summit & Exhibition on 12th & 13th June at JW Marriott in Aerocity.

The summit will be attended by 500 delegates having top profiles as the leaders and representatives from government, regulators, airlines, business aircraft operators, airports, training organisations, MRO providers manufacturers and aviation services.

Under the theme “New India Rising: How India’s aviation renaissance can achieve global ambitions”,the summit will address the key issues and challenges that the region faces as it plans for rapid growth to restore its position in the aviation and aerospace world.

“This is first Aviation India Summit,” said Alan Peaford MBE, the chair of the conference. “These regional summits have proved successful in other parts of the world such as the Middle East and Africa, where demand for air travel has risen exponentially and the industry has had to find ways to collaborate and cooperate in order to support airline orders and to bring direct economic benefit to the countries where they operate.”

The challenges facing South Asia are not unique. Preparing a workforce and addressing how to develop a diverse workforce to meet staffing and skill demands are at the heart of the solution. Pilot shortages – along with the time lag between recruitment and qualifying – is one.

A key panel will look at how the Indian pilot training infrastructure is adjusting to support the growth of airlines with speakers including Romy Hawatt, Chairman, Airways Aviation Group; Bobby Sharma, CEO, Chimes Aviation Academy; Khushbeg Jattana, GM at Simaero; and Ryan Van Wijk, CEO, Alt. Academy with Maximilian Buerger, the Managing Director of the training industry’s leading data provider AFM moderating.

Manufacturers will address supply chain issues as well as covering the inward investment opportunities through speakers such as Ashwani Bhargava, Senior Director, Supply Chain, Boeing India and Kishore Jayaraman, President, Rolls-Royce India and South Asia. Keynote speakers include Vumlunmang Vualnam, Secretary IAS, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Amber Dubey, Senior Advisor, McKinsey & Company and former Joint Secretary at Ministry of Civil Aviation; Bharat Malkani, President, MRO Association of India and advisor to Indian government on aviation policy; Praveen P A, Director – Aerospace, Defence and Space Sectors, Government of Telangana; and Group Captain Rajesh Bali, Managing Director, Business Aircraft Operators Association of India.

“The involvement of the professional industry associations for MRO, Airports and Business Aviation along with the Federation of Aviation Industry in India (FAII) has been vital for the show,” Peaford said. “Industry needs a shared voice if it is to achieve what is expected of it as we witness the passenger growth and airline orders that need to be supported.” Airports, Risk management and sustainability also come under the microscope with presentations and panels.

More than 70 airlines and operators are among the registered participants from across South Asia and beyond.

‘The broad depth of the airlines attending is impressive,” Peaford said. “We have start-ups through to long established carriers, plus helicopters and GA charter businesses. Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Fly 91 along with CEOs from neighbouring Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines and FitsAir are all part of an airline leaders debate Former wing commander from the Indian Airforce, industrial leader and current co-founder and SVP Operations of Akasa, Neelu Khatri will lead a top level panel to wrap the event on Thursday as the Summit debates the next steps and outcomes from the various sessions. “The networking opportunities are fantastic,” said Mark Brown, managing director of Times Aerospace Events, the organiser of the show. “This is really the last call for people to register before we have to close the doors. This may be the first of the Aviation India events but it won’t be the last.”