The steps of Namo Ghat were packed before the first engine noise rolled down the river. On Thursday 22 October 2026, thousands of spectators lined the Ganga from Namo Ghat to Assi Ghat as the Indian Air Force opened “Wings Over Ganges” — the first IAF air show staged over the river in Varanasi.

Three HJT-16 Kiran trainers drew the tricolour across the sky in the “Kashi” formation, and Rafale, Su-30MKI, Tejas and Chinook followed, according to ANI and Punjab Kesari. This was only the opening act. The Wings Over Ganges displays continue on 24 October, and the main show on Sunday 25 October will be watched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Officially titled the Indian Air Force Aerial Display 2026, the event marks the 94th anniversary of a service raised on 8 October 1932, and a homecoming of sorts for Central Air Command, whose headquarters sit just upriver at Prayagraj.

One hundred aircraft from twelve bases

The numbers are those of a small air force. IAF officials quoted by The Week and ThePrint put the line-up at 52 fighters, 32 helicopters and 15 transport aircraft; India Sentinels counts one heritage aircraft on top, which brings the total to the round hundred. They are drawn from 12 air bases across India.

The fighter list reads like a catalogue of Indian air power: Rafale, Su-30MKI, MiG-29, Mirage 2000, Jaguar and the home-grown LCA Tejas. Behind them come the heavy lifters — C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J, C-295 and An-32 — together with an AEW&C radar aircraft.

The Army and Navy are flying too. A P-8I maritime patrol aircraft was due to launch from INS Rajali at Arakkonam, near Chennai, and join up with Mirage 2000s over Gwalior on the way north, India TV reported.

Formations named for Kashi

The choreography leans on the city’s sacred geography. Beyond Kashi, the “Varun” formation brings three ALH Mk-III helicopters, while “Omkar” puts three Mi-17s over the river carrying the national flag and showering flower petals. Kedar, Hanuman, Rudra and Bhagirathi complete the programme.

The “Tridev” formation is the joint-services statement: a Navy Ka-31, an IAF ALH Mk-III and an Army ALH Mk-III flying as one.

India TV described the set piece for the finale: six frontline fighters — Su-30MKI, Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Tejas and MiG-29 — in an arrowhead, which it says is a first for a public display. Two Jaguars are to make a high-speed attack run near Malviya Bridge with a Su-30MKI attempting the intercept from above.

Surya Kiran and Sarang close the show

As at every big IAF display, the crowd’s favourites come last. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team brings nine HAL-built Hawk Mk 132 jets, with loops, barrel rolls, inverted passes and the team’s signature DNA manoeuvre trailing saffron, white and green smoke. Formed in 1996, the team has flown more than 850 displays, according to the Free Press Journal.

The Sarang Helicopter Display Team answers with its helicopter ballet in ALH Dhruv helicopters. On day one, Sarang was already painting a tricolour trail over the river in videos shared from the ghats.

Five of the Surya Kiran officers are from Uttar Pradesh, which makes Varanasi a home crowd for part of the formation.

The Hindu: Rafale, Su-30MKI and Tejas rehearse over Namo Ghat, 20 October 2026.

A city rearranged for an air show

Flying fast jets low over a river lined with temples and a dense old city is not a casual undertaking. To reduce the bird-strike risk, Varanasi banned the sale of meat, fish and poultry within 30 km (19 miles) of the venue from 19 October, to keep scavenging birds away from the display line.

Police have built a security plan modelled on the Maha Kumbh framework, with temporary police posts, restricted heavy-vehicle traffic and green corridors to hospitals. Central Air Command has form here: its Air Force Day display over the Sangam in Prayagraj in 2023 drew nearly 2.5 million people, by the command’s own count.

Air power as a public festival

According to India Sentinels, Air Vice Marshal PVS Narayana has framed the Wings Over Ganges show around two goals: showing the public how the IAF works, and persuading young Indians to join the armed forces. Holding it in Modi’s own constituency, on a riverfront sacred to Hindus for millennia, adds a third, unspoken one.

Few air forces could stage a hundred aircraft over a holy river and make it feel like a festival rather than a parade. On Sunday, when the arrowhead of six fighters roars over the Ganga, Varanasi will hear what a 94-year-old air force sounds like at full voice.

Sources: ANI, The Week, ThePrint, India TV, India Sentinels, Free Press Journal, Punjab Kesari, The News Mill, Central Air Command (X), The Hindu