Begumpet, the former international airport at Hyderabad, India has been named the permanent host for a biennial business aviation show that organizers say will attract 12,000 delegates daily for the next three days. The arrival of an Airbus A380 on Thursday is being touted as the highlight of India Aviation 2008, which, a week on the heels of the National Business Aviation Association convention in Orlando, has attracted a laundry list of business aviation companies, along with all the major airliner manufacturers. Boeing is using the show to announce the sale of a total of 110 aircraft to Air India and Jet Airways and flew in a 777ER to punctuate the announcement. And while the show is aimed at the business of aviation, the public will also get a chance to add their oohs and aahs.
The first three days of the show are for registered participants but the last day is being thrown open to the public with reduced ticket prices. As many as 30,000 people are expected on Saturday. A new international airport opened in Hyderabad earlier this year and Begumbet was quickly tapped as an ideal show site for the troubled, but still growing Indian aviation sector.
