Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 14^th edition of Asia’s largest aero show Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru on Monday.

The Gurukul formation during the fly past at the inaugural ceremony was led by Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.

The theme of Aero India 2023 is ‘The Runway to a Billion Opportunities’ and the five-day event will focus on displaying indigenous equipment/technologies and forging partnerships with foreign companies.

The event will help to integrate domestic Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups in the global supply chain in order to attract foreign investments including partnerships for co-development and co-production.

Over 80 countries participated at the mega air show and ministers of around 30 countries and 65 CEOs of global and Indian OEMs are likely to participate in it.

Meanwhile, more than 800 Defence companies including around 100 foreign and 700 Indian companies participated in Aero India 2023 exhibition.

Major exhibitors at the air show include Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industry, BrahMos Aerospace, Army Aviation, HC Robotics, SAAB, Safran, Rolls Royce, Larsen and Toubro, Bharat Forge Limited, Hindutan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and BEML Limited.

The five-day event is expected to radiate a strong and self-reliant ‘New India’ by displaying India’s growth in aerospace and defence capabilities.