Aero India 2023: Dates (out), Schedule, Ticket Price

Aero India 2023 is an air show and exhibition related to aviation products that happen biennially in Bengaluru, India. The Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India is the authority that conducts this show. Yelakhankha Air Force station is the venue for this event. It is a massive event in which various defense agencies in India participate including Defense Ministry of India, Indian Air Force, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Department of Space, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.

Apart from this, many international aircraft manufacturing companies also participate in this air show. If you are an aviation geek and excited for Aero India Show in 2023 then this post is just for you. Here, we are providing all important details related to the Aero India 2023 show. 

What is Aero India 2023 Show and what happens in this Event?

Aero India is basically an Air Show and business exhibition held at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. Many departments of the government of India such as the Defence Ministry, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Department of Space, and the Union Civil Aviation Ministry collaborate to organize this event biennially. It is one of the biggest air shows in India. Plus, it is one of the biggest opportunities for aviation manufacturing companies to showcase their products to potential buyers. 

Thousands of people from around the globe come to watch this air show. The air show consists of mesmerizing maneuvres by awesome fighters and transport aircraft designed and developed by countries such as India, Russia, US, Israel, France, Sweden, etc.  When is Aero India 2023: 13th February 2023 – 17th February 2023

Editions of Aero India

There is no bigger exhibition for the Aerospace industry in India than Aero India. However, this air show has a modest start in the year 1996. Given below is the list of the editions of Aero India shows so far. 

• 1^st Edition – 1996: The 1^st edition of Aero India was held in 1996. After that, the events get recognition gradually. The participation in this event was modest. 
• 2^nd Edition – 1998: 2^nd edition of this event took place at Yelahanka Air Base and it was inaugurated by defense minister George Fernandes. In this air show, aircrafts such as Mig -23, Jaguar, HAL Kiran, Hawk 200, Mirage 2000, and Sukhoi Su-30 participated. 
• 3^rd Edition – 2001: The 3^rd edition of the show was started on 1^st February 2001.
• 4^th Edition – 2003:  4^th Edition of Aero India show was very big. 176 companies from more than 22 countries participated in this event. 
• 5^th Edition – 2005: During the 5^th edition of Aero India more than 2.5 lakh people from all over the world enjoyed the show. The aircrafts displayed include Fighters, Light Combat Aircraft, Advanced Light Helicopters, Intermediate Jet Trainers (AJTs), Maritime Surveillance Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
• 6^th Edition – 2007: The 6^th edition of Aero India was held from 7^th February 2007 to 11^th February 2007. This was one of the best Air Show ever in India as it includes the participants of MRCA contract i.e. Lockheed-Martin F-16, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Mig 35, SAAB Gripen, Dassault Rafale, etc.
• 7^th Edition – 2009: 7^th Edition was started on 11^th February 2009 and it includes flight display from fighter jets such as the F-16, F-18, MiG-35D, Eurofighter, IJT, Dhruv, Hawk, etc. Various transport planes also participated such as C-17, Embraer 135 business jet Legacy 600, C-130J, Citation XLS, G 550, AN-12 Cargo, and A-310 MRTT  
• 8^th Edition – 2011: The 8^th edition took place on 9^th February 2011. The highlight of this edition was maneuvring from LCA Tejas which flew in formation for the first time in front of the general public. 
• 9^th Edition – 2013: The 9^th edition of Aero India exhibition started on 6^th February 2013. The major attraction of the show was aircrafts such as Dassault Rafale, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, HAL Rudra, HAL Tejas, HAL Light Combat Helicopter, etc.
• 10^th Edition – 2015: Started on 18^th February 2015, this was the 10^th edition of Aero India show. The main highlight of this show is the Make in India theme campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  
• 11^th Edition – 2017: The 11^th edition of the Aero India show was also very successful. The edition sees the participation from 549 companies (270 Indian and 279 Foreign) and 72 participating aircraft. The acrobatic maneuvres from Sarang Team (Indian Air Force), Surya Kiran Team (Indian Air Force), the Scandinavian Air Show Team (Sweden), and the Yakovlevs Aerobatic Team (Russia).
• 12^th Edition – 2019: The 12^th edition of Aero India was held on 20^th February and it was flagged off by then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The mishap of the collision of two Surya Kiran aircraft occurred during the air show. 
• 13^th Edition – 2021: The last Aero India show was started on 3^rd February 2021. The Dassault Rafale aircraft in Indian colors was shown to the general public for the first time. Another highlight of the show was the flypast of a Rockwell B-1 Lancer nuclear bomber from the U.S. Air Force which had come all the way from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. 

Aero India 2023 Schedule

Aero India 2023 takes place from 13th February 2023 to 17th February 2023. Check out the event details here–

Aero India 2023 Logo

The logo of Aero India is very special. It is based on light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The LCA Tejas is depicted in tricolours in the logo with the Ashok Chakra in middle making it quite similar to the Indian Flag. The outlines showing the letter “A” in the logo portray the dominance of Aero India in the Aerospace exhibition. LCA Tejas is India’s Indigenous light weight multirole fighter aircraft. 

Expected Air show displays in Aero India 2023

• LCA Tejas Mark 1A: The updated variant of India’s indigenous LCA Tejas Mark 1A is expected to take part in Aero India 2023. It is a heavily updated version of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. It has a better radar, long-range missiles, a better electronic warfare suite, etc.
• MRCA 2.0: By the year 2023, the Indian govt. is expected to sign or will be very close to signing the deal of 114 Multirole fighter aircraft. So, you can expect heavy participation from the contenders such as Rafale, F – 21, Eurofighter Typhoon, etc. 
• Fighter Drones and UAVs: The armed drones and UAVs are expected to change the war scenarios drastically in the future. So, we can see the exhibitions from more drones and UAVs.    

Aero India 2023 Ticket Price

The limited tickets for Aero India 2023 are provided on a first come first serve basis. 

• Business Tickets: Rs. 2500/- INR for Indian Nationals and USD 75 for foreign nationals.
• Air Display Visual Area (ADVA) Tickets: Rs. 500/- INR for Indian Nationals and USD 20 for foreign nationals. 

Major Accidents and mishaps in Aero India show so far

There are not many accidents took place in Aero India shows so far. However, a few mishaps take place as given below. 

• In the year 2007, during the rehearsal of the show, one Sarang helicopter crashed killing its co-pilot. 
• During the 12^th edition of the show in 2019, two Surya Kiran aircraft collided resulting in the crash. The pilot got killed in this event.