BENGALURU: The purported change in the venue and dates of the country’s most popular air show — Aero India — which is being discussed by the Ministry of Defence according to sources, has raised an alarm among participants, both Indian and foreign, and these companies are now scrambling to understand if their plans for attending the air show will be thrown out of gear, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) said on Tuesday.
In an appeal made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, FKCCI president Sudhakar S Shetty, said that the short notice, should the show be advanced to late October or early November, would lead to a lack of interest from international vendors who participate enthusiastically in the biennial event otherwise. “Even the large number of aviation aficionados and plane enthusiasts who flock to Bengaluru every two years for the Aero India show are now in two minds about their participation,” Shetty said.
“It would be a missed opportunity not to build on its past success and risk a low profile participation due to a sudden and unfair change in venue. Since the Defence Minister is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, we hope that the Minister will stand by the State’s interests on this issue that has foxed the state’s industry and commerce in general and the aviation industry in particular,” Shetty added.
Defence minister may discuss issue with PM
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that she would discuss the issue with the Prime Minister. Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, who represents Bengaluru North in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday said, “The defence minister informed me that she would discuss it with the PM. If need be, even I will meet the PM along with a delegation of MPs from the state,” Gowda added.