ASPIRE 2026: Aviation Skill Progress & Industry Readiness in Education

• 3,000+3,000+Free seats
• 1 day1 dayOne stage
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Aviation Skill Progress &Industry Readinessin Education

1. A

   Aviation

   Not just flying. An industry creating thousands of opportunities: on the ground, in the sky, and beyond.

2. S

   Skills

   Dreams get you started. Skills get you hired. Learn what the industry actually looks for.

3. P

   Progress

   India’s aviation story is already taking off. More airports. More aircraft. More opportunities. The future is being built today, and you’ll be the ones leading it.

4. I

   Industry

   Meet the people behind aviation. Not just pilots. Engineers, cabin crew, aerospace experts and more. The people who actually do the job are in the room, answering you.

5. R

   Readiness

   The gap between what you’re studying and what an employer will hire. Because the goal isn’t just to graduate. It’s to be ready when opportunity arrives.

6. E

   Education

   The biggest barrier isn’t ambition. It’s information. Because every journey begins with knowing what’s possible.

• 

  Former Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, PVSM AVSM VM ADC (Retd.)

  27th Chief of the Air Staff

  Former Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, PVSM AVSM VM ADC (Retd.)

  Former Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, PVSM AVSM VM ADC (Retd.), served as the 27th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.

  Commissioned into the fighter stream in 1982, he rose across four decades of service, through the command of a frontline air command and the office of Vice Chief, to the highest post the service holds. He led the Air Force through years in which indigenous platforms and the entry of young women into more of the force moved decisively forward.

  For an audience that believes the Air Force begins and ends at the fighter cockpit, there is no one better placed to show them everything else the uniform holds, and exactly how a young Indian enters it.

• 

  Air Vice Marshal GS Bhullar, VM(G)

  Flying (Pilot), Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration

  Air Vice Marshal GS Bhullar, VM(G)

  Air Vice Marshal GS Bhullar, VM(G), Flying (Pilot), is the Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration at Headquarters South Western Air Command (HQ SWAC), a highly decorated Indian Air Force officer and helicopter pilot with over 4,500 hours of flying experience.

  He was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for rescuing 170 flood survivors, and he has commanded pivotal forward bases, including Air Force Station Jammu and Car Nicobar.

  A seasoned leader with over three decades of experience, he brings invaluable expertise in high-stakes decision-making, crisis management and strategic execution.

  For a hall full of students who picture the Air Force as a fighter cockpit and nothing else, he is what the rest of it looks like: the flying that goes where nobody else can, and the command that answers for it.

• 

  Air Commodore S. S. Tyagi (Retd.)

  Fighter Pilot, MiG-21

  Air Commodore S. S. Tyagi (Retd.)

  Air Commodore S. S. Tyagi (Retd.) is a former Indian Air Force fighter pilot who served from 1965 to 1996 and holds the world record for the most flying hours on the MiG-21.

  Commissioned with the 92nd flying course, he commanded No. 35 and No. 32 Squadrons and served as Air Officer Commanding of 33 Wing at Jamnagar.

  Known across the fighter community as “Bundle”, he remains one of the most recognised figures in Indian military aviation and a lifelong advocate for young people entering the armed forces.

• 

  Shri Deepak Kapoor, IAS

  Vice Chairman & Managing Director

  Shri Deepak Kapoor, IAS

  Shri Deepak Kapoor, IAS, is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC), the State agency that plans, builds and operates airport infrastructure across Maharashtra.

  MADC's charge runs from greenfield airports in the State to the multi-modal cargo hub and airport at Nagpur. This is the work that decides where aircraft land, where cargo moves, and where the thousands of jobs that follow an airport are created, and very few people in the country carry that responsibility for an entire State.

  He will represent Maharashtra, our Partner State, at ASPIRE 2026.

  For the students in the hall, his address answers the question no brochure does: who actually builds an airport, and what it takes to work on that side of the industry, where careers are made in planning, engineering, operations and management long before the first aircraft ever touches the runway.

• 

  Shri Manoj Kumar Bajpai

  Deputy Director General

  Shri Manoj Kumar Bajpai

  Shri Manoj Kumar Bajpai is a senior aviation professional and Deputy Director General at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), with extensive experience in India’s civil aviation regulatory and safety framework.

  He has held senior roles in DGCA’s Airworthiness and regulatory functions, contributing to the oversight and development of aviation standards in India.

  Most students meet Indian aviation as an airline. He is the authority behind it: the body that licenses every pilot, engineer and aircraft in the country, sets the standard they are held to, and employs a great many people to do it.

• 

  Dr. Harpreet A De Singh

  Former Airline CEO

  Dr. Harpreet A De Singh

  Dr. Harpreet A De Singh is a pioneering aviation leader and the former Chief Executive Officer of an Indian airline, the first woman ever to head one.

  She was among the first women pilots selected by Air India in 1988, at a time when a woman on an Indian flight deck was almost unheard of, and she has spent the years since turning that rare path into an ordinary one for every woman who followed her.

  Today she is a globally recognised mentor, an author, and one of the most respected voices for women in aviation anywhere in the world.

• 

  Wing Commander Jaya Tare (Retd.)

  Founder & CEO, Newrizon Space | Former Indian Air Force Pilot

  Wing Commander Jaya Tare (Retd.)

  Wing Commander Jaya Tare (Retd.) is an Indian Air Force veteran, aviator and space ecosystem leader whose journey spans military aviation, national leadership, aerospace and the emerging space economy.

  With over 3,500 hours of flying experience, she has operated in some of the most demanding environments in aviation, building a career defined by leadership, exploration and service.

  Today, she brings that experience into the next frontier, as an Analog Astronaut and Indian Ambassador for Mission ShakthiSAT, a global initiative empowering girls to participate in the future of space.

  Through Newrizon Space, she is building bridges between talent, technology and opportunity, connecting young minds, institutions and industry to help shape the next generation of India’s aviation and space ecosystem.

  From the cockpit to analog missions and the global space ecosystem, Jaya Tare is committed to turning aspiration into action.

• 

  Senior First Officer Shivani Kalra

  Senior First Officer, Boeing 787

  Senior First Officer Shivani Kalra

  A Senior First Officer on the Boeing 787 at Etihad Airways, she holds one of the most demanding seats in commercial aviation.

  She is also a TEDx speaker, and a voice followed by more than 800K+ people who look to her for what a career at that altitude actually takes, from the first exam to the left seat of a widebody.

  Very few speakers can tell a young audience what that climb costs, and what it gives back, with the authority of someone still flying it.

• 

  Capt. Jaswanth Varma

  Captain, Airbus A320 & A321

  Capt. Jaswanth Varma

  Capt. Jaswanth flies the Airbus A320 and A321 as an airline Captain. He grew up in a farming family in rural Andhra Pradesh, a long way from any airport, and reached the flight deck on nothing but resolve, discipline and an ambition he refused to negotiate with.

  Away from the cockpit he is an aviation mentor and a digital creator followed by hundreds of thousands of young people, who come to him for the one thing almost nobody offered him at their age: an honest and clear map of how a career in aviation is actually built, what it costs, and what it asks of you.

  His story carries the single message every student in this hall needs to hear. Where you begin has nothing to do with how high you can fly.

• 

  Capt. Vinay Salve

  Senior Commander

  Capt. Vinay Salve

  Capt. Vinay Salve is a Senior Commander with Air India, with over 5,000 flight hours across the Boeing 737, Boeing 787 and Airbus A320 family.

  Before joining the flight deck, he spent six years as cabin crew, a distinctive route into command that gives him a perspective from every seat on the aircraft, not just the front two.

  He also creates aviation content as @aviator_vinay, where more than 200,000 followers get aviation insights, stories and perspectives straight from the flight deck.

• 

  Group Captain Rajneesh Gandhi (Retd.)

  Head of Training

  Group Captain Rajneesh Gandhi (Retd.)

  Group Captain Rajneesh Gandhi is a former Indian Air Force helicopter pilot with over 30 years of experience and 4,500 flying hours, including extensive maritime flying experience.

  His flying career began in Gujarat, with his first posting to Jamnagar. Years later, he returned as Flight Commander.

  Today, as Head of Training at Dreamvator, he prepares future pilots on the ground before they step into the cockpit, building the foundation they need for flight training.

  He now returns to Gujarat to share his experience with the next generation of aspiring pilots.

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  Revealing soon

Eleven speakers are announced. More will be added; register to be notified.

• Maharashtra Airport Development CompanyPartner State · Maharashtra
• Graphic Era Group of InstitutionsAcademic Partner
• GMR Aero School of AviationAME & MRO Partner
• Flaps UpVIP Gifting Partner