Events

2nd May 2023, New Delhi: Foundation For Aviation and Sustainable Tourism (FAST) conducted its annual seminar in New Delhi with the theme “India’s G-20 Presidency: A Golden Opportunity for India Tourism”. The seminar was addressed by MoS for Tourism, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik through video link. He highlighted the importance of the seminar in the context of ongoing G20 presiding which is an premier forum for international economic cooperation. He also mentioned the important role of G20 in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. The objective of GTIS is to attract global investment into the Indian tourism and hospitality sector along with investments in tourism infrastructure, technology, skill development, startups and more. The Minister said, “G-20 will help in raising awareness about tourism potential at the global level.” India has been active in G-20 meetings and has taken a leadership role in several areas, such as promoting inclusive growth, increasing investment in infrastructure, and strengthening financial regulation. The inaugural address by the minister paved the path for productive and fruitful deliberations at the seminar. Shri Arvind Singh, IAS, Secretary, Tourism was the Guest of Honour, gave the way forward that the government is following to fully harness this opportunity. He mentioned that tourism traffic is back and up and infrastructure such as High Speed Modern Trains clubbed with Quality Highways along with airports and air routes under RCS have immensely contributed to it. He conveyed the intent of the PM in going ahead in Mission Mode for tourism in an effective manner. He also shared the rich video content getting viral on the social media there by highlighting tourism and he dwelled upon the insight of the upcoming programs and activities of the Ministry in this regard. The seminar has sensitized the environment with full of positivity for the upcoming events under the banner of G-20 in general and particularly the upcoming Investor Summit in May, 2023; besides providing the marketing tourism promotion and networking opportunities. FAST Seminar was steered by two former Secretary, Tourism, former Chairman, AAI and the former Governor of Tripura & Chhattisgarh, Lt. Gen. KM Seth, PVSM, AVSM(Retd.) and President of FAST. They together brought out meaningful outcome through the deliberations in two dedicated Business Sessions. Session-1 was Chaired by Mr. MP Bezbaruah, IAS, former Secretary Tourism and Session-2 was Chaired by Mr. Vinod Zutshi, IAS, former Secretary Tourism. During deliberations it transpired that to make the best use of the G20’s presidency for travel and tourism, India can initiate interactions with G20 nations at the four key levels, i.e. (i) Govt to Government. (G2G), (ii) Government to business (G2B), (iii) Business to business, (B2B) and (iv) People to people. (P2P) It was mandated that such deliberations shall be captured in the form of a Post Seminar Report (PSR). The PSR may be forwarded to the Government and concerned departments and stakeholders for necessary action at their level.

22nd April 2023, New Delhi: The 2nd International Conference on Emerging Trends in Aviation MRO Industry [EAMRO 2023] was successfully organized by Aviakul Group of Companies on 22 April 2023 at Indian Aviation Academy with an aim to discuss the emerging trends such as Convergence of Civil & Defence in MRO, Digitization of MRO, Challenges in implementing new age solutions etc., This attracted a significant amount of Aviation Professionals from Indian Armed Forces, Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation,Regulatory Authorities, MRO Professionals, Aircraft Technicians, Aspirants, Students etc., Lt. Gen. Ajay Kumar Suri, Director General & Colonel Commandant, Army Aviation presided the opening Ceremony as Chief Guest and initiated the conference. He also actively participated in the Panel Discussion on Convergence of Civil & Defence Applications in MRO Industry where we explicitly invited Private Manufacturers & Stakeholders to take active part in cross vertical MRO applications. The Opening Ceremony also witnessed key addresses from Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh, Former Air Officer in Charge Maintenance, Indian Air Force,R. P. Kashyap, Director Operations, Directorate General of Civil Aviation & Indian Aviation Academy and the organizing Chairman of the conference Vaibhav Varun, Managing Director, Aviakul Group of Companies. Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mishra, Former Director General, Defence Research Organization delivered his opening remarks virtually. The day begun with an interesting and intriguing panel discussion on Convergence of Civil & Defence Applications in MRO Industry [EAMRO 2023]. Panelists included Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh, Rear Admiral Mukul Asthana, Lt. Gen. Dharam Vir Kalra, Anirrban Batacharrya, Mangalam Pandey with Col. K. V. Kuber, Director – Aerospace & Defence, Ernst & Young leading the Panel as Moderator. Lt. Gen. Ajay Kumar Suri participated in the panel as a Special Invitee. The Panel discussed several issues & bottlenecks in achieving the said convergence and how all the stakeholders can work together in making India a Global MRO Hub in the nearest possible future. Followed by Panel Discussion, Dr. Harpreet A de Singh, Executive Director, Air India Limited, delivered a Keynote Lecture in Women in Aviation. She boldly questioned the existing practices in society which is preventing Women to take up Aviation related career options and highlighted how Indian Women Pilots’ Association is working closely with the parents of girl children to change this societal mindset and encourage women to take up Aviation. Today, digital transformation is not an option but a necessity, which provides a way through which any disruption or future uncertainties could be navigated. Resonating with these thoughts, a Panel Discussion on Digital MRO: Are we ready? took place with enthusiastic participation from Ashwani Sharma, Arun Kumar Bansal, Mangalam Pandey, Prashanth Gupta and Saurav Gupta. Key points including but not limited to the need for skill training at the grass root level has been discussed. With Indian Airline Carriers increasing their Aircraft fleet, whether MROs in India can cope up to the challenge in the next five years? Answering this with precise strategy, Pulak Sen delivered an enthralling Keynote Lecture setting a vision MRO 2030: Indian Roadmap. Manoj Kumar Paidisetty, representing the civil aviation regulatory authority, addressed the gathering on the importance of Safety and the challenges involved in solving them. A Panel Discussion on Challenges in implementing New Age MRO solutions resonated well with the audience as the panelists were able to connect with them on a day-to-day problem being faced. Panelists included Ajay Kumar, Maniraj Rajagopalan, Gp. Capt. Sanjay Shah, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Vijay Kumar Jha actively interacted with the audience making the final session of the day, THE most interesting session of the day. Vaibhav Varun gave the concluded remarks with R. P. Kashyap unveiling the banner for the next edition of Global Sustainable Aviation Conclave – Chapter 2 in October 2023 in New Delhi. The event was attended by 300+ participants in Physical mode, comprising of Industry Experts, Indian Armed Forces, Defence veterans, Diplomats, Bureaucrats, Aviation Professionals, Aviation Enthusiasts, Friends from Media, Cinema Industry, Faculty and Students from Science and Technology background. This conference was well received among the participants making this event a Success.

The first edition of the India Russia Space Dialogue 2023 was organized by Russian House New Delhi and Aviakul Private Limited on April 15 with the aim to revisit the historic milestones in the cooperation journey of the two nations, identify key moments, analyse the learnings from this bilateral cooperation and chart out the future roadmap of collaboration on various avenues in this current geopolitical scenario. The event specifically looked back at the milestone human spaceflights of Yuri Gagarin, the first man to go in space on April 12, 1961 as well as that of Wg. Cmdr Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go in space on April 3, 1984. Ekaterina Malysheva, the granddaughter of the Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Malysheva who went into space with Wing Cmdr. Rakesh Sharma as the spacecraft’s commander shared her memories, insights and valuable anecdotes from Yuri Malysheva’s life. She shared unseen images of her grandfather and the workings of the Russian space agency. Through the images she familiarized the attendees and specially the students about the cosmonaut training process. In his keynote address, Dr. N. Suddheer Kumar, Director, Capacity Building & Public Outreach (CBPO), ISRO virtually presented a brief overview of the Indo -Russian collaboration since the beginning. He mentioned Vikram Sarabhai’s contribution in the Indian space program as well as the partnership between ISRO and ROSCOSMOS in launching of various satellites, Navic, cooperation for Gaganyaan, cryogenic technology stage, etc. Indo Russian Cooperation has been marked by a close and strategic partnership across all spectrums of relationship and when the world is reeling with many challenges across the globe like pandemic, geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown and so on, rapid technological innovations and developments in space sector has become critical more than ever. Right from launching Aryabhata, India’s first unmanned satellite in 1975, to Wg Cmdr Rakesh Sharma, first Indian to travel to space in 1984, the cooperation between the two nations has seen many pinnacles. Several decades down the line, today, both the countries harbour common ambitions to journey deeper into space through many projects like Ganaganyaan, Marsoplane – the mission to explore mars and so on. Certainly, the 75 years of Indo-Russian cooperation provides many valuable lessons that are important to further explore the unexplored areas of Indo-Russian Space partnership and unearth the endless possibilities of Outer space. The Fireside chat on the topic of 75 Years of India-Russia Space Cooperation highlighted the importance of friendship in current geopolitical situations, encouraged the Private Sector coming into the space domain, how it will expand the scope of the space sector as well as the space economy in particular. The panelists also stressed upon using outer space for people purposes as space belongs to all. Aviakul Pvt Ltd also signed an MoU with the delegation from Moscow Aviation Institute to strengthen space education in the country. In her Keynote lecture on ‘ women in aviation’ Executive Director of air India, President of IWPA, member of Indian aeronautical society Dr. Harpreet A De Singh highlighted how determination can lead women to touch the sky, she spoke about Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, Sirisha Bandla, Dr. Tessy Thomas and many more inspirational women. Dr. Singh enlightened students about various fields and job roles women can take in the space sector. This was followed by a panel discussion on space for commercial opportunities. Panelists encouraged more people and the private sector to participate in the space domain as in future everything is going to be dependent on the space domain. General A. K. Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association, highlighted the everyday used services and product applications like GPS, Weather updates, ATM machines, water purifications, etc. Panelists also acknowledged the budget constraints and how countries’ cooperation can lead the way to 2030. The next panel discussion enlightened towards creating ecosystems that can guide and nurture young minds to create a skilled workforce. The panelists spoke about the various domains of space, the hard work, and persistence needed coupled with curiosity, and imagination. They also touched upon the available resources that the students can explore to fuel their interest in space. The discussion also mentioned about the research process and the kind that is going on in space. It also highlighted that a single space mission requires a large team of workers with distinct variety of skills and competencies to work and therefore space is a domain comprising all range of industries and professions ranging from information, telecommunication, broadcasting, trade and manufacturing of space assets, professional and business services like R&D, technical services, engineering, geophysical surveying and so on. Looking at the earth from a far you realize it is too small for conflict and just big enough for cooperation, as remarked by Yuri Gagarin. Another statement by Wg Cmdr Rakesh Sharma underlined, “Anyone who goes to space tries to look at his own country first, but soon it appears that there is no boundary between the countries and the entire world is one family where our destinies are integrated.” The dialogue that ended with a reminder to work together, to collaborate for further leaps of humans.

Airport Innovation Conference – KSA Date: 4th September, 2023 Venue: Riyadh Geography Of Focus: KSA Media Partner: Aviation World Event Overview: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undertaking a massive airport expansion and upgrade program to serve 330 million travellers by 2030 through $147 billion in investments that will support $82.3 billion of GDP by 2037. The General Authority of Civil Aviation, under its National Aviation Sector Strategy, plans to increase air connectivity to 250 destinations, reaching 330 million passengers, and double air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by the end of the decade. The King Salman International Airport, due to be built in the capital Riyadh, will have no fewer than six parallel runways, allowing 185 million passengers to pass through annually by 2050. Airport Innovation Summit -KSA is lined up with interactive Panel Discussions, Keynote speeches, Networking Opportunities and Case Studies presented by local and international participants. For more info connect: https://airportinnovationsummit.csevents.ae/

14th March, 2023, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE: The milestone 10th edition of the Arab Aviation Summit (AAS), the region’s leading aviation and tourism industry event, kicks off today at the Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Ras Al Khaimah under the theme, ‘Impactful sustainability in modern-day travel and tourism’. Offering abundant opportunities for knowledge-sharing and networking, the summit has converged a distinguished gathering of the global aviation community to address opportunities and challenges in the industry and discuss and collaborate on ways to further propel the ongoing momentum driving the Arab aviation and tourism industry. The opening day features discussions and debates on sustainability, the economic outlook, and how disruptive technologies will shape the next generation of aviation and travel. Lively panel discussions, keynote addresses and workshops will mark the agenda of the summit on Wednesday, March 15. Local leaders and global industry stalwarts will foster healthy dialogue on the way travel impacts the environment and deliberate the way forward by exploring decarbonising pathways and sustainable business models to boost the continuous growth of the sector. Mikail Houari, President, Airbus Africa and Middle East, said: “Sustainability is at the core of our purpose as we continue to pioneer disruptive technologies and clean fuel alternatives. Collective efforts from all industry stakeholders are required to ensure we continue to drive greater sustainability. We look forward to the summit, exchanging ideas with other industry experts on how we can work together to make air travel more sustainable for future generations.” Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “As we continue to place sustainability at the heart of our development, we are seeing industry players across tourism and aviation prioritise environmentally conscious and purpose-driven operations. As the Arab Aviation Summit brings together leading regional and global players, we look forward to exploring innovative collaborations, solutions, and best practices to collectively unlock the full potential of a decarbonised future.” Cementing its status as the “voice of the industry”, the 10th Arab Aviation Summit will showcase industry insights and outline scalable solutions that can make a tangible difference to the sustainable transformation journey of stakeholders in the industry. Strategic sector discussions will also highlight curated and innovative products, services and initiatives that are currently changing the way people travel. Other significant topics addressed at the summit touch upon the fundamentals of airline economics under the pillar of sustainability, the role of advanced air mobility in shaping airlines, airports and travel operations, the growing prominence of travel destinations in the Middle East, and the rising opportunities in the industry ecosystem. Hosted in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, AAS 2023 is the world’s first aviation and tourism event to calculate carbon emissions. The event is supported by global industry partners such as Airbus, CFM, Collins Aerospace, Turkish Teknik, T3 Aviation Academy, and others.

Bengaluru, 13th Feb 2023: Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has called upon Indian & global industry leaders to support the Government’s endeavour to design, develop and manufacture cutting-edge products, using critical technologies, within the country to attain complete ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, with the overall objective of achieving shared global peace and prosperity. He was addressing over 70 CEOs of local and global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) during a Round Table organised as part of Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru on February 13, 2023. The Raksha Mantri asserted that India does not want to remain just an assembly workshop and is looking to engage with friendly countries in defence and security based on sharing expertise and capabilities under the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He assured industry leaders that the government is open to new ideas and is committed to fully harness the energy, entrepreneurial spirit and capability of private sector partners in the area of defence production. He extended government’s full support towards removing obstacles and facilitating businesses. Shri Rajnath Singh voiced the Government’s resolve of nurturing a vibrant and world-class defence manufacturing industry, terming it as the key driver of Indian economy. He enumerated a number of far-reaching reforms undertaken by Ministry of Defence to create a business-friendly climate in the country. These include setting up of defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; simplification of industrial licensing processes; hike in cap on FDI in defence; opening of government trial and testing facilities for the private sector; increase in capital outlay for defence in Budget 2023-24 and launch of Technology Development Fund and Innovations for Defence Excellence. He said, these reforms will enable Indian defence products to compete with established global defence and aerospace companies. The Raksha Mantri stressed that indigenisation is the mantra for India today, unlike in the past when import was the default option. He appreciated the growing enthusiasm & greater participation of private players in defence production and expressed confidence that the CEOs Round Table will sow the seeds of successful new ventures and partnerships, boost investment, expand indigenous manufacturing and bolster aerospace and defence ecosystem in India. He stated that the partnership between Government and the Industry is based on equality & mutual trust. The CEOs Round Table was organised on the theme ‘Sky is not the limit: opportunities beyond boundaries’. The participating companies included Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industries, General Atomics, Liebherr Group, Raytheon Technologies, Safran, General Authority of Military Industries, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited, BEML Limited, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge, Dynamatic Technologies and BrahMos Aerospace. This platform was to forge partnerships between domestic and global Industries of the aerospace and defence sector to address the present and future global needs and discuss the importance of supply chain strategy and operations as the world deals with the aftermath of the pandemic and global disruptions. More than 75 companies, including 28 foreign OEMs from 15 countries and domestic companies & DPSUs participated in the discussion. There was official participation from Countries of Sudan and Saudi Arabia. The significance of roundtable discussion as “dialogue between equals” was emphasised. A short film highlighting the robust Indian defence ecosystem showcasing indigenously designed, developed platforms were projected exhibiting Indian capabilities and strengths. The participants were apprised of the opportunities in the defence manufacturing industry and continued pro development and pro-growth policies offered by the country through the DPSUs, MSMEs and private Industries. Many foreign OEMs made announcements regarding their plans for investments and collaborations including Safran, Boeing, Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Thales in defence and aerospace sector. General Atomics and Bharat Forge announced to deepen their collaboration in aircraft components and parts. Hensoldt announced Design/TOT and IPR transfer of obstacle avoidance system for Indian Helicopters and co development of Advanced Multi Sensor Electro-optics Airborne Gimbals for Indian and world market. CEOs of domestic companies including Bharat Forge, L&T and Mahindra Defence Systems shared their views on major reforms and their impetus for robust defence system under Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The CEO Roundtable engaged industries for co-development and co-production to make India a Commercial Manufacturing Hub and base for global product support, while exploring Indian and Global market. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane also attended the Round Table.