Aero India 2019 To Be Held In Bengaluru In February

Bengaluru: The Defence Ministry confirmed on Saturday that Aero India, 2019 would be held in Bengaluru from February 20 to 24, amid speculations that the biennial air show would be moved out of the Karnataka capital.

Earlier, there were reports of the Centre mulling the option of moving the country’s biggest air show out of Bengaluru, where it is being held since 1996.

It was being speculated that the Centre could move Aero India 2019 to a new venue, possibly in Uttar Pradesh.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s earlier statement that several state governments had requested to host the show had also added to the suspense as the Centre had refused to divulge details on the final dates or the venue for the show till now.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisting that the city would be the “best choice” for the event.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too had urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to hold the event in his state.

The Defence Ministry had also received requests from the state governments of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha and Tamil Nadu to host the next Aero India.

However, the Modi government confirmed that the air show would be held in Bengaluru itself. A statement by the Ministry of Defence said, “The Government has decided to hold the Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru from February 20 to 24, 2019. The Department of Defence Production is committed to make this a successful and result-oriented show.”