The tarmac was a frenzy of activity, while life all around seemed to have come to a stand still. Traffic pile-ups for kilometers, unending queues of visitors, chaos of entry, and the struggle of exit marked the end of the five-day air show.
With the final shows coinciding on a Saturday, thousands of visitors thronged the roads towards Yelahanka Air Base. "Conservatively, we estimate that over 3 lakh people came to see the last day," said R Hitendra, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
Traffic diversions could not contain the chaos - for instance, a majority of the visitors entering through most gates were diverted onto the narrow service roads; while only select gates and airport services could go on the elevated expressways. The result was line of vehicles stuck for hours. Soundarya Krishna and her family had left at 8.30 a.m. in the hope to see the morning show. But as vehicle movement slowed, and queues at entrances elongated, she could make it only post-noon.
The frustration was evident on the ground, and on social media - with complaints of bad management, traffic chaos and even calls to end Aero India here.
With congestion unrelenting, some of the diversions were removed last minute, adding to the chaos. Those travelling to the Air Display Viewing Area - the most popular spot and with the cheapest tickets - were the worst hit, with reports of people being stuck for up to three hours coming in.
Adding to this were the confusion of gate entry (there are 12 gates, spread across the base), long walks from the parking lots towards the security checks, long queues, sweltering heat and lack of facilities for the disabled or elderly.
It wasn't just Yelahanka Air Base that saw a sea of people. Neighbouring villages of Hunsemaranahalli and even near Bettahalasuru saw thousands standing on roof-tops, mud mounds and boulders. "This time, it is very chaotic. Till the last edition, the police would drive away those standing close to the airforce base. But, this time, there are at least 2,000 people standing on the tank bund next to the base," said Ashok, who was vending sugarcane juice at Hunsemaranahalli. He has been vending near Aero India for the last three editions, and says, the crowd going in reduced a bit, while those viewing from outside have increased drastically.
There is, however, a positive in the planning. With taxi aggregators nearly out of service due to the traffic diversions, airport buses and BMTC special buses came as a saviour to those exiting the gates. On Ballari Road, buses were seen running full, with a bus being spotted every couple of minutes.
