ACFI – Air Cargo Forum India participated in the recently concluded aviation event – Wings India 2024 at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad. This crucial event marked the Indian Aviation industry’s growth as well as recognition across the globe. The event was graced by the presence of Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, as the Chief Guest. It also witnessed the presence from senior Govt. Officials, including Piyush Srivastava – Senior Economic Advisor; General V.K. Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Civil Aviation; Komatireddy Venkat Reddy – Minister of Road & Buildings and Cinematography as well as Asangba Chuba Ao – Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Talking about India’s Civil Aviation growth story, Scindia highlighted how the Aviation sector is one of the key drivers of economic development. He also said that projections suggest that the number of domestic passengers alone will reach 635 million by FY 2030 and yet the Indian Aviation market will be amongst the least penetrated aviation markets, therefore there is ample scope for this sector to utilise its full potential.

The occasion witnessed participation from 1500 plus delegates from across the Aviation industry from 106 countries and more than 5000 business visitors. The four-day event included exhibitions, demonstration flights, displays, media conferences and a series of business meetings, and much more. Several senior leaders from ACFI along with members of ACFI Secretariat attended the event.

For the first time ever, ACFI had organized a dedicated pavilion during the exhibition, displaying the aims, objectives and overall vision as a nationwide forum that represents the entire air cargo community in India. The pavilion saw great footfall from visitors and played a key role in spreading awareness about the role ACFI plays in taking up air cargo issues with senior authorities and regulators for the growth of the sector.

On Day 2 of the event, ACFI organized an exclusive Air Cargo round table themed – ‘Unleashing the full potential of Air Cargo Transport’ that was moderated by ACFI President Yashpal Sharma. The session was chaired by Piyush Srivastava – Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation. It brought together great minds on a single platform to deliberate about the immense power that the Air Cargo sector offers in effectively moving goods and services worldwide.

The event saw several major announcements that would change the course of the Indian Aviation sector. Some of them included: Air India’s launch of a world class pilot training centre in Gurugram, to offer A320 and A350 flight training to 5000 plus new pilots in the next 10 years. Additionally, other highlights included launch of UDAN 5.3, announcement of Inauguration of the GMR School of Aviation among others.

Commenting on the four-day crucial event and its purpose, Yashpal Sharma – ACFI President said, ‘’The aviation sector contributes significantly towards the growth of the economy and provides jobs to a substantial number of people. Hence, there is a need for establishing cutting-edge aviation infrastructure and taking significant measures to address various issues, including capacity creation, process simplification and combating all challenges. The Indian Aviation System possesses great potential to become a growth driver for uplifting the Indian economy. As an industry, we should come together and collaborate, so that India achieves the goal of becoming a $7 trillion economy by 2030 as per researchers. I strongly feel that Air Cargo can truly propel the advancement of the country, so that it can evolve into the 3^rd largest economy of the world in years to come.’’