India Aviation 2008 readies for take-off

The abandoned airport at Begumpet in Hyderabad has come to life once again with hundreds of representatives of the aviation sector descending there to participate in India Aviation 2008, the first ever civil aviation jamboree in the country. Jointly organised by the ministry of civil aviation and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), the four-day event is expected to set the agenda for the domestic aviation sector - at least for the immediate future. Though how many business transactions will be sealed at the event is anybody’s guess, the country’s aviation industry representatives will benefit from their interactions with the who’s who of the global aviation market, feel organisers. “More than business, it’s a platform for all the stakeholders of the aviation industry to interact. As an extension of that, some deals will be announced by the end of the event,” said a Ficci official. The event kicks off on October 15 and the first three days will be exclusively for business visitors. The last day, October 18, is an open day for the general public to see the aircraft on display. The partner country for the event is the United States. India’s aviation minister Praful Patel will formally flag the event off on October 15 and the Surya Kiran fleet of the Indian Air Force will perform a fly-past. Other show-of-skill performances such as parasailing, parajumping and hot air-balloons are also part of the inaugural event.