India's growing wealth has made it a significant market for the major business aviation manufacturers and the airframers were out in force at Aero India.
Embraer dominated, showcasing its Lineage 1000, Legacy 650 and Phenom 100 on the static display. Dassault also brought its Falcon 900LX, 2000S and 7X to Bengaluru.
Dassault Falcon Jet chief executive Jean Rosanvallon says it has nearly 60 years of history in the country, and it remains a key market for the French manufacturer despite sales dipping in recent years.
"Things have plateaued a little bit over the last two to three years, but based on the activity we have seen recently, we are optimistic for the 2013-2015 period," he says.
Embraer is a relative newcomer to the market, delivering its first business jet to an Indian customer in 2005, but it now has 18 in service.
José Eduardo Costas, vice-president, marketing and sales Asia Pacific for Embraer Executive Jets says the market for business jets has improved in line with the economy.
"With the growth of India over the last five years it has developed a lot of high net-worth individuals and companies," says Costas.
The poor state of India's infrastructure, and the growing needs of those companies and individuals to be able to travel domestically has helped to bolster interest, he says.
During the show, Embraer announced that it had entered an agreement with local service partner Indamer to provide support for the midsize Legacy 500, which is due to enter service in 2014.
Source: Flight International
