Several visitors at the Wings India-2018 civil aviation show on Saturday were left high and dry as aircraft on display were off limits.
Observers said on the penultimate day of the event, which was thrown open for public, saw a much lesser turnout as compared to the previous events.
Anurag Adoni, a class XI student, accompanied by his father, said he had come to scout for good aviation schools and also have a glance of the aircraft on display. A second timer at the event, he said while he did find schools, he was unhappy given the lack of large aircraft on display. “There were a lot of aircraft like the Airbus A380 and A 320 the last time. I am disappointed this year. There are very few planes here.”
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Another family of six that had reached the Begumpet airport said the event was not worth the money they had paid. “We paid ₹400 each. We have to look at the planes from a long distance. For the amount we paid, this is not worth it,” Deepa and her son Ujwal said.
Mohammed Saleem, a degree student, said he expected to see an aerobatic show. Shortly after reaching the venue he was informed that there would be no such event this year. “It was much later that I got to know that the air show has been cancelled,” he said.
Techies Rahul Mandapaka and Sonam Sharma said they had come to the airport to see the indigenous Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s Dornier 228. Like the others, they too said they had wished to see a larger number of aircraft than what was on display.
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When contacted, an office-bearer of Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industries confirmed that visitors were not allowed at the static display area.