Passenger's Trust is Key for Aviation, Says Bhatti

Hyderabad: Aviation rests on trust long before it rests on technology, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said at Wings India 2026, where Union civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu and industry leaders gathered for the event’s second day of major fleet orders, manufacturing agreements and awards.

Telangana received the award for best state for promotion of aviation ecosystem, while one of the most consequential announcements came from Air India, which placed an additional order for 30 fuel-efficient narrowbody aircraft from Boeing which took its total aircraft order book to 600 aircraft.

“India is no longer just flying aircraft. We are designing, building and leading global aviation,” Naidu said, placing the day’s announcements within a wider push to move the country from a large market to a global aviation power.

Bhatti framed flight as a public act of faith. “Everytime passenger boards an aircraft, they trust engineers they will never meet, regulators they do not know…and systems that must function perfectly,” he said, adding that India was no longer confined to one end of the aviation value chain. “We are becoming designers, manufacturers, maintainers, and innovators.”

Those claims were backed by a string of announcements. Air India also signed a multi-year agreement with Boeing Global Services for its Component Services Programme covering its Boeing 787 fleet, including aircraft on order. The airline separately reached an agreement with Airbus to convert 15 A321neo aircraft into the A321XLR variant, a move expected to support new non-stop international routes.

Manufacturing and maintenance featured prominently in other deals. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited entered into a contract with Pawan Hans Limited for the supply of 10 Dhruv Next Generation helicopters, strengthening the civil helicopter segment. The Airports Authority of India signed an agreement with Airports Council International for the Airports Management Professional Accreditation Programme, under which more than 115 aviation professionals will be trained over five years.

Bhatti placed Telangana’s aviation growth within investments made in undivided Andhra Pradesh between 2004 and 2014, when the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was conceived. Those decisions, he said, created a base that continues to support Hyderabad’s role in aviation today. “Good infrastructure is not built for one term. It is built for generations,” he said, adding that the present government’s task was to strengthen and modernise that base.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the state now hosted aero-engine MRO facilities, aircraft structures manufacturing, drone and UAV operations, innovation centres and MSMEs tied to global supply chains. Facilities supporting LEAP engines and Rafale aircraft carried particular weight, he said, because engine maintenance demanded confidence in skills, systems and governance. “Investors may come for incentives. They stay for predictability,” he said, pointing to policy stability and administrative follow-through.

Sustainability and skills ran alongside growth in the remarks from both leaders. Bhatti said Hyderabad airport already operated on 100 per cent renewable energy and followed a net-zero roadmap. “The future of aviation will be green,” he said, while noting that training institutions and industry partnerships mattered because “runways do not fly. People do.”

Naidu spoke of capacity creation ahead of demand, skill development and sustainable aviation fuel as part of the sector’s next phase, along with new MRO facilities underway in India, including one in Hyderabad.

A knowledge report titled “Paving the Future of Aviation in Viksit Bharat @ 2047,” released by KPMG and FICCI at the event, outlined aviation’s role in growth, trade, tourism and jobs, and set out nine themes aimed at moving India from a large market to a global aviation ecosystem leader.

The Wings India Excellence Awards, presented by Naidu, recognised airports, airlines, service providers and states. Apart from Telangana, awards went to GMR Aero Technic for MRO services, Air India Express for domestic connectivity, Delhi International Airport Limited as Best Airport of the Year, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as best contributor to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.