Every two years, as Bengaluru’s winter fades and the city folk welcome spring, it’s also time for metal birds from all over the globe to take to the skies with a thunderous roar.
This ritual started more than three decades ago at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka with the first-ever airshow — then known as Avia India — being held in 1993 with a modest display of a few aircraft. Rebranded as Aero India in 1996, the show has grown from strength to strength and is Asia’s largest airshow today.
Also read: Aero show, big-ticket business events bring cheer to Bengaluru’s tourism and hospitality sectors
It’s now a must-visit event for major armament companies from all over the world to showcase their latest arsenal.
The Aero India editions held between 2009 and 2013 was the most sought after as foreign companies competed against one another to win the Indian Air Force’s prized medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal.
Over the years, the show may have lost some of its past glory. However, it has a knack of reinventing itself as was evident in 2021 when the organisers managed to conduct it amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s edition also left a unique mark, hosting both the Russian Su-57 and American F-35 Lightning II.
This was the first time these two highly advanced stealth fighters were seen sharing the tarmac in an international airshow.
“Aero India 2025 provides a rare side-by-side comparison of Eastern and Western fifth-generation fighter technology,” said the Ministry of Defence on the show’s USP.
The number of aircraft and the flying display teams might have dwindled over the years. However, that has not stopped people from flocking to the venue in large numbers, braving Bengaluru’s notorious traffic, to catch a glimpse of the Light Utility Helicopters, Su-30 MKIs and Light Combat Aircraft.
And every time the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team performs its graceful loop, thrilling barrel roll, gravity-defying inverted flying, and the DNA manoeuvre, the oohs and aahs from the crowd only get louder.
(Text by Hemanth C.S.)
Photo:
K BHAGYA PRAKASH
Art of flying: The Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team displays its skills during Aero India.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Give and take: The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, an American military aerial refuelling aircraft, navigates the sky.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Two stalwarts: An American F-35 flies over Russia’s Su-57E fighter jet at Aero India.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
American muscle: A U.S. F-16 fighter jet takes to the sky.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Russian roar: Russia’s fifth generation Su-57E fighter jet performs a manoeuvre.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Aerial canvas: The IAF’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team during the final dress rehearsal ahead of Aero India.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Eyes to the sky: Visitors watch the thrilling displays during the show.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Crowd pullers: People thronged the venue to catch a glimpse of the gleaming planes.
Photo:
K. Murali Kumar
Busy roads: Commuters stuck in massive traffic jams between Yelahanka and the Air Force Station during the airshow.
Photo:
Sudhakara Jain
Final flight: Exhibitors and attendees of AeroIndia 2025 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station about to board their flight out of Bengaluru.
Published – February 16, 2025 10:37 am IST