Aero India may shift out of Bengaluru

Team Udayavani, Aug 5, 2018, 4:30 PM IST

• Only six months to go, Centre is yet to finalise the host state
• Venue has not yet been decided: Defence Minister

Bengaluru: the Aero India biennial air show and aviation exhibition that has been conducted in Bengaluru since 1996 may shift out of the city.

As per reports, several leaders including Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Deputy CM G Parameshwara have requested the Centre to not to move the show out of Bengaluru. But there is no clear answer, with the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman only stating that the venue has not yet been decided.

On Saturday, the Defence Minister addressed the media and claimed that many states had approached the government to host the event and that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will decide and announce the venue soon.

Twitter

The possibility of the show shifting out of Bengaluru has also drawn strong reactions from various leaders with many of them taking to twitter to express their concerns.

“Plan to snatch Aero India Show away from Bengaluru in favour of Lucknow is very unfortunate. We have been conducting it successfully since 1996. This comes after HAL was snubbed for Rafael deal. Centre seems to be keen on ending Bengaluru’s dominance in the defence sector,” tweeted Dr. G Parameshwara.

Congress leaders also took to Twitter to highlight that shifting the event from Bengaluru would mark the shift of aerospace industry away from the city.

“PM Modi took away Rafale from HAL, now Aero India from Bengaluru, hub of India’s aerospace industry. Air Force officials say new venue has ‘inadequate infrastructure’. Modi’s love for spectacle seriously harms India & Karnataka,” tweeted MP Rajeev Gowda

“All that they have done in four years is change names of schemes and create divisive controversies. And now this shifting of Aero India is another attempt to show some cosmetic commitment but also to create a distracting controversy,” tweeted Pawan Khera

“Bengaluru is the hub for aviation with NAL,HAL,ISRO, Boeing, Rolls Royce, etc nestled here. Most of the R&D & innovation too happens here. Aero India has traditionally been held here, which should be continued,” tweeted Minister for Social Welfare Priyank Kharge.

According to reports, since its inception in 1996 Aero India has been held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. This year, however, the show might be shifted to a new venue due to ‘space constraints’.

Typically, preparations for the grand occasion begin a year in advance; but with less than six months to go for the event, there is still no clarity on where the event will be held.

According to reports, the Ministry of Defence was considering shifting the spectacle to the Bakshi Ka Talab Air Force Station in Lucknow in spite of the venue being smaller than the Air Force Station in Bengaluru.