A major event in the country in the recent past on the Indian civil aviation scene was Wings India 2022, Asia’s largest civil air show that was held at the airport in Begumpet, Hyderabad in the last week of March this year. The air show was a four-day biennial event that was organised jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry. This event brought together buyers, sellers, investors and other stakeholders from all across the globe on to a common platform to display their latest products as also to interact on various aspects of the civil aviation industry. The air show focused on a wide array of industry-related aspects including policy issues, business aspects, challenges, future possibilities and market scenarios. The best of the aviation industry showcased their innovative technology and aircraft at the air show covering the domains of commercial, general and business aviation. After two years of virtual interactions, the business aviation fraternity of India reconvened in Hyderabad for the 6th edition of the BizAvIndia Conference held on March 23, 2022. Organised by the Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA), the conference’s theme was GA/BA - The Growth Enabler and was held on the sidelines of Wings India 2022. This issue of SP’s Aviation has detailed reports on Wings India 2022 and the BizAvIndia Conference by Ayushee Chaudhary.

In the domain of international relations, India took a big step forward by participating in the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue held in Washington on April 11, 2022 which was preceded by a virtual summit between PM Modi and President Biden with the aim of strengthening political relationship between the two countries. With the Indo-Pacific in mind and to effectively counter the challenge from China, a strong US-Indian partnership is a critical building block in a more resilient regional security architecture. Hence, the high level engagements in the midst of Russia-Ukraine war, also focussed on the challenge from China. The fact that India participated in this exercise in the backdrop of Russia-Ukraine war and her historical equation with Russia, is significant. In view of the emerging global order and fast changing geo-politics of the world, India and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen, strengthen and expand the scope and intensity of defence and security cooperation between the world’s two largest democracies. The India- US bonhomie was immediately followed by a summit meeting between the Indian and UK Prime Ministers when Boris Johnson visited India from April 21-22, 2022. In depth reports on these crucial summits and the 2+2 dialogue, highlighting the changing landscapes and emerging relationships, by Ranjit Kumar features in this issue of the magazine.

As India hopes for the ambitious target of $5 trillion economy by 2025, BA and GA can contribute significantly and accelerate the overall growth of the nation if supported by certain policy reliefs and initiatives. Last Word conveys this fact-based message in a firm manner.

All this and more in this issue of SP’s Aviation. Welcome aboard and wish you happy landings!

Jai Hind!