(Long) Aero India 2025: Experience + "How to" for 2027

This should have been done last month but the weekend after was fairly busy and after that I forgot.

1 | Getting there

  • The time it took me for the 2 PM air show was </= than 1 hour - I left at 11/11:30 AM and reached by 12:30.
  • You don't need to worry about directions, it lies on the road to Bangalore international and you'll see plenty of signboards directing you to either ADVA Parking or Main Road Gates/MRGs 1 to 3 for General Visitor Pass. If you only need to drop one person and not park, go for the MRGs even if you have an ADVA pass. The distance you'll have to walk from any of them is the same and all lead to the same area so don't overthink.
  • The only jam you will face will be around 300 metres from the main road gates because many people were stopping/dismounting/asking questions to the police there, so it will take time.
  • All the MRGs will have tons of police and soldiers outside who you can ask questions to, they're all friendly unless you ask something extremely stupid like "Where is the ADVA parking" (read above).

2 | Parking/Entry

  • There are no badges or permits, you just need to show your e-pass to the person at the gate and that's it, you're in.
  • You need to follow the signboards to ADVA Parking, if you miss it you're screwed as the traffic near the MGRs will hold you up.
  • The parking cost is apparently 3000 per vehicle according to the site which is 3 ADVA tickets, so I went for MRG drop instead and had someone drop me off at Gate 3 (Gate 1 is optimal, I went to Gate 3 because I wasn't sure where to go).

3 | Bags and items

  • Explosives are not allowed. Neither is any other weapon, unless it's particularly impressive, in which case you get to watch the airshow from inside the security room.
  • Bags are allowed and will be screened further inside the air base once you enter. Please don't take a hiking bag with you if you're unsure.
  • Cameras/phones/tripods are all allowed at no cost and no risk of being robbed, everybody there with you will have paid the same price so they're not really out to steal your camera in front of hundreds of policemen.
  • Free water bottles will be provided, Cola or so is available for fixed prices at random spots inside i.e when you go towards the security check area. Food is available at the food court or starbucks.

4 | The airshow

  • It'll start precisely when it says it will on the timetable. If you've reached early they will let you in and while waiting you can (talking to General Visitor pass people here) get food, look at the exhibits (read 6 and last) or stand next to the barrier and claim a spot. If you don't claim a good spot 30 or more minutes before hand good luck seeing aircraft taxi even if you're tall. Preferably do everything else first then claim a spot 30 minutes beforehand.
  • The 9 AM and 2 PM displays are different in terms of what aircraft perform i.e 9 AM can have LCH but 2 PM will have SU57 instead as in my case, so choose which aircraft you want to see then decide where you go. You don't have an allotted time or something to pick on the website, you can go at either 9 AM or 2 PM as you see fit.
  • Try very hard to go in the morning as in the evening you're going to be below a scorching sun (global warming sucks when you have to stand for 4 hours) which will be just above you, so on top of being roasted if the pilots decide to go any higher than about 50 ft you won't be able to see anything.
  • There are no chairs for the Static Display line where General Visitors go, you either find a spot to sit which is anywhere you see space or stand if you're fit.
  • You won't know when the big jets like SU57 or F35 take off, one minute you'll be trying to see whats happening and then the ground shakes and you watch them zoom away. So pay attention.
  • The air crew from any country are very nice. The Germans and Russians waved, but the Americans straight up started a push up competition for entertainment in front of the F35. I didn't get to witness it because as I said, if you don't claim a barrier spot at least half an hour before forget about anything on ground level.

5 | Post airshow

  • Surya Kiran will end the airshow (evening, not for morning), so when you see them flying you know everything else is done. Remember that they actually put up the longest and best performance so this is the part you should stay for.
  • By the time the last display flies most of the company representatives will have left to rest or will be leaving. You'll still have time till about 6 to go through the exhibit which is about the time it takes to run through all the exhibits and hangers.
  • Once the airshow is over, if you went in from Gates 1-3 they'll take you to the other side of the highway you came in from, using an underpass leading to the colony where the people on the airbase live. Then buses leading to every major stop will arrive and pick you up if you want, or if you've got someone in a vehicle get them to start moving to the U turn 20 minutes before hand as traffic will be very heavy.

6 | The exhibits

Most of the major companies will be there in some form. AVNL brought in a whole T72-BLT and Sarath upgraded, OFB displayed ammunition, HAL displayed static aircraft and models, TATA displayed new anti-drone projects and armor, etc. Every notable defence company is there and it's fun to be able to see everything up close. You also get to interact with all the representatives (just be nice), they'll even come up to you and ask you if you need help. Which I did, but since this was after the airshow I was tired with a leg cramp and just wanted to take pictures and leave. Do not do this because you don't get that opportunity for another 2 years. I will regret that for at least the next 6 months.

That should be everything. Don't be cheap, it's worth it and I wish I went all the previous times as well.

Miscellaneous:

  • READ everything on the Aero India website first because it explains things fairly simply. Air display schedules will be uploaded around 5 PM the day before your event for ADVA/GV buyers (I couldn't afford business because I wanted to save for a good model).
  • On the last day they will begin packing up all the exhibits by 12 PM starting with small objects until everything is gone by 5, and additionally most of the representatives and air crews will have left as well. So if you're going in the evening, arrive by 12 and go straight to the exhibits, you have over 2 hours before the event starts. If you don't, you'll get the sad experience I got and regret it.
  • There's two souvenir shops, one outside in a small building you'll easily recognize and one hidden in the corner of the hanger exhibits that sells items you can find from their site online, but at cheaper prices.
  • Carry only what you need so you can be burden free. I dropped my camera and couldn't enjoy the rest of my event because I had to check if it was broken (yes it was), and then I couldn't enjoy the rest of the airshow and the exhibits because of it.
  • Photographers take your fluids and a microfibre cloth with you, the lens can and will get dirty. If you don't have a cloth then you can get a free tissue from the Starbucks or food court but that could take years because people are apparently ordering food all the time, even when the SU57 and F35 are performing.
  • Security people are very nice, ask them for help. I was struggling to stay up due to dehydration because I missed the free bottles somehow and ignored everyone that told me to bring one myself to the event, so I asked a CISF/CRPF man where I could get one and he handed me one from a bag straight away.
  • ADVA Can access the Static Display line as well possibly, just use Gates 1-3 and try, if they deny you just walk over to the ADVA area which is only about a kilometre away.