Packed schedule for Anil Ambani at Abu Dhabi Air Expo

A packed schedule awaits a delegation led by Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani, which had a significant presence on the inaugural day Monday of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) 2015, also known as the Abu Dhabi Air Expo.

"This was even more conspicuous, as no other senior leader from the Indian defence industry was present," a company statement said.

Ambani has meetings with the top leaders of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This comes close to his engagements with the many leaders of the global defence market at Aero India that concluded Sunday.

The response from all the stakeholders was "overwhelming", said Rajesh Dhingra, president Reliance Defence and Aerospace, who is a part of the delegation.

"There is great optimism in the new vision unfolded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through Make in India initiative. What we saw was a vote of

confidence in his approach to transform the Indian defence manufacturing," Dhingra noted.

Reliance Defence and Aerospace has received multiple offers from the OEMs to address the opportunities coming up for India's helicopter programmes and submarines, amongst others, he said, adding there was great interest from many of them to be part of the proposed Dhirubhai Ambani

Defence City.

"We now have to work on the best value proposition to deliver solutions that the Armed Forces expect within the timeframe and budget set out by the government," Dhingra added.

The Abu Dhabi Air Expo, according to its website, "brings together major players in general aviation, enabling a demanding clientele to discover the industry's latest developments and innovations in a remarkable and convenient location, Al Bateen Executive Airport, the region's only dedicated private jet airport, located in the heart of Abu Dhabi".

With 13,500 visitors in 2014, Abu Dhabi Air Expo has "grown to become one of the most successful exhibitions within the Middle East", the posting said.

The exhibition is designed for professionals and enthusiasts and offers visitors a wide and representative range of the ever-growing aviation industry.

The new Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal Project opening in 2017 "has brought further growth and demand to the regions aviation sector. With this in mind, Abu Dhabi Air Expo has taken the initiative to expand its exhibition in 2016 to include a dedicated area to airport suppliers," the posting said.

Abu Dhabi Air Expo's "distinctive characteristic is its outdoor chalet and static display. The tents are set up right alongside the aircraft on the static display, making it a unique place where visitors can admire aviation's latest conceptions and talk with exhibitors all at once," the posting said.