Wings India 2026 summit, Asia’s largest civil aviation event

Current Context: The Wings India 2026 summit, Asia’s largest civil aviation event, was held from 28–31 January 2026 at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad.

 

• It was organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and FICCI, chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating virtually.
• The theme was “Indian Aviation: Paving the Future – From Design to Deployment, Manufacturing to Maintenance, Inclusivity to Innovation, and Safety to Sustainability”.
• The aim was to showcase India’s transformation from an aircraft buyer to a global aviation manufacturing and services hub.
• The summit recorded 70,000+ visitors and witnessed major deals including Air India’s expansion to 600 aircraft, Airbus conversions, and regional connectivity agreements.
• On the manufacturing front, HAL debuted SJ‑100 & H‑228 aircraft, signed a ₹1,800 crore Dhruv NG helicopter contract, while Adani–Embraer and Sakthi–Omnipol announced partnerships for regional aircraft assembly.
• IOCL signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Akasa Air to jointly explore the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The partnership supports India’s blending targets of 1% SAF by 2027 and 5% by 2030, aligning with national climate goals.
• IOCL plans to produce 30,000 tonnes of SAF annually using waste‑based feedstocks.
• Innovation highlights included Odisha’s UAV Test Corridor, AAI–ACI training pact, and Air India–HIET AME cadet program, while PM Modi set a target of 400+ airports by 2047, stressing air travel’s shift from exclusive to inclusive.

Question:

Q.1 What was the official theme of the Wings India 2026 Summit?
a) Connecting India through Regional Aviation
b) Aviation Growth for Atmanirbhar Bharat
c) Indian Aviation: Paving the Future – From Design to Deployment, Manufacturing to Maintenance, Inclusivity to Innovation, and Safety to Sustainability
d) Sustainable Aviation for Emerging Economies

Answer: c) The theme was “Indian Aviation: Paving the Future – From Design to Deployment, Manufacturing to Maintenance, Inclusivity to Innovation, and Safety to Sustainability”.