BENGALURU: Delay in the announcement of dates and venue for the biennial Aero India 2019, appears to have affected the show, as only less than half the number of exhibitors have registered for the show, as compared to 2017. By the looks of it, it appears that the show will have the lowest number of participants in comparison to the last four editions of the show.
Apart from the unprecedented delay over the dates and venue, uncertainty in the international market over India's defensive needs has also affected the registration of companies, say experts.
As on November 27, only 206 companies had enrolled for Aero India. Compared to it, a total of 549 companies had registered for the premier event held at Yelahanka Air Force Station in 2017 and 594 companies in 2015. At the current rate, experts feel that the number of registrations would not exceed 250, whereas the number of foreign companies that participated in 2017 was 279.
Participating Companies
Among the companies that have registered till date include Dassault Aviation and Rafale International from France. The companies are in the dock over Rafale deal with India and had recently courted controversy.
Other major foreign companies include Boeing from the United States of America, Airbus from France, SAAB AB from Sweden and Russian Helicopters from Russia. The companies are among the 61 foreign firms registered for the event.
Apart from them, a total of 145 Indian companies, down from 270 in 2017 have registered. However, the offset partner in India's controversial Rafale Deal — Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd — is yet to register for the event, as per the list of registrations available.
Causes
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Air Marshal (Retd) S P Singh, said it was unlikely that more companies would participate in 2019 rather than 2017. "One of the causes is that the final call for participating in the event has come late. While dates for the next edition of Aero was announced before the end of its previous edition, for Aero 2019, the dates were announced very recently," he said.
Most of the companies producing and supplying equipment are not too certain of what India wants. Since there is a Request for Intent for new fighter aircraft, manufacturers who believe that they do not have a chance are unlikely to show up. Moreover, acquisitions are unlikely in the helicopter fleet, which will also deter such companies from displaying their products, he said.
Sources also said that India was focusing more towards Russia to fulfill its defensive needs, which might have caused a dip in interest from other competing nations. Sources added that since clearances for defensive equipment to be brought inside the country took a lot of time, delaying the announcement of dates will have served as a deterrent, sources added.
However, sources in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited involved in Aero India 2019 were confident that the numbers would increase in the coming days, as they were expecting more registrations.