President to inaugurate aviation expo today: Check out the big participants and line-up here

Hyderabad - Global civil aviation majors are taking part in India Aviation 2016, the mega expo that kicks off today. This is the fifth edition of the expo. The five-day event organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is being held at Begumpet Airport. The theme of this year’s show is ‘Indian Civil Aviation Sector: Potential As Global Manufacturing and MRO Hub’. [caption id=“attachment_2617186” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Here are all key facts you need to know about the event: 1) More than 200 major participants, including aircraft and helicopter makers, are expected at the show. Leading players associated with aviation and related businesses like Boeing, Airbus, Textron, Embraer, Gulfstream, Dassault, Agusta Westland, Bell Helicopters and Russian Helicopters will also take part in the expo. Engine manufacturers such as CFM, UTC, GE Aviation, Rolls Royce and Pratt and Whitney will showcase their products and expertise. 2) The event is supported by Air India, Airports Authority of India, Director General Civil Aviation, Pawan Hans, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Fornborough International, SP Guide Publications, Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries and Business Aircraft Operators Association, it added. 3) President Pranab Mukherjee will formally inaugurate the event which will be attended by E S Lakshmi Narsimhan, Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh; K Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana; N Chandra Babu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Union Minister of Civil Aviation. Ambassadors from at least seven countries are expected to participate. 4) About 29 aircraft, ranging from small business jets to big aircraft, will be on display during the show. A one-day conference on “Indian Civil Aviation Sector: Potential as Global Manufacturing Hub” will be held on March 17 at the venue. The conference, to be addressed by eminent speakers, policy makers and experts, will focus on the policy issues and business aspects. 5) The Indian aviation sector is likely to see investments totalling $12.1 billion during the 12th Five Year Plan, out of which $9.3 billion is expected to come from the private sector, said a press release by the aviation ministry on Tuesday. The government plans to set up 200 low-cost airports in the next 20 years to connect tier-II and tire-III cities. The aim is to make India an aviation hub and one of the three key aviation markets globally by 2020, the statement from the ministry said. With PTI