Sky was the limit in Chennai on Sunday, October 6, as the air show organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF) got underway at Marina Beach. The show, which commenced at 11 am, showcased 72 aircraft such as Rafale, light combat aircraft Tejas, light combat helicopter Prachand, and heritage aircraft Dakota.
More than 13 lakh people flocked to the venue by train, metro, cars, and buses to watch the show. The event entered the Limca Book of Records for attracting the largest gathering for an air show. The Limca Book of Records is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, state Ministers, and Chennai Mayor R Priya were among those who attended the event. The air show marks the 92nd celebration of the IAF, which was instituted on October 8, 1932.
Chief Coordinating Officer of the Chennai air show Air Vice Marshall K Premkumar told reporters that major preparations for securing the record were carried out. Expressing concern over bird strikes, the IAF had requested people not to bring eatables while attending the air show.
The IAF had conducted a full dress rehearsal on Friday in coordination with its Tambaram unit. The Greater Chennai Police had deployed around 6,500 police personnel and 1,500 home guards for the air show. Food stalls and the ramp for persons with disabilities, installed recently, were removed from the beach for the event.
Normal life was thrown out of gear, as traffic was severely disrupted across the city due to the event. The Chennai Traffic Police had advised participants to use public transport such as metro and local trains to reach the venue comfortably. Visuals posted on social media showed a massive crowd at the Velachery Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) railway station. Due to the unprecedented crowd, metro passengers were exempted from scanning the ticket at entry gates and had to do so while exiting the station.
Meanwhile, more than 20 people reportedly fainted at the event due to the heat. The last time Chennai hosted an air show was on September 6, 2003.