With 201 MOUs, product launches and technology transfers which will provide further impetus to the aerospace and defence industry of the country, Aero India 2021 concluded. The valedictory function was graced by President of India Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Savita Kovind.
Over 600 exhibitors attended physically and another 108 in virtual mode. Around 3,000 Business-2-Business meetings were conducted during the event and representatives from 63 countries were in attendance. The 13th edition of Aero India in its 25th year was organised amidst COVID-19 challenges as the world’s first ever hybrid defence and aerospace exhibition with no public days and a concurrent virtual exhibition.
In his address President Ram Nath Kovind said, India is not just a market, but a land of immense opportunities for the whole world, including in the defence sector. He added that the government has taken several policy initiatives aimed at placing India among the top nations in the defence sector with twin objectives of self-reliance and export promotion. The President said that the government is focused on promoting the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to encourage manufacturers to set up units in India. The President said that the reforms initiated in India in the last six years offer unprecedented opportunities to investors and private companies in the defence and aerospace sectors.
The President said that Aero India is a living proof of India’s ever-growing strength in the defence and aerospace sectors at the global level. The event has exhibited that the global confidence in India’s capabilities is growing steadily.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Aero India offered a unique platform to Indian private and public sector industry and global original equipment manufacturers to forge partnerships and showcase products to potential customers. He informed that the first ever IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave was attended by ministers and delegates from 26 countries.