Chandigarh, Mar 27: Chandigarh witnessed a spectacular aerial display on Friday as the Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) performed over Sukhna Lake as part of the airshow here.
The team carried out a series of manoeuvres and formations during a half-hour display amid cloudy weather, drawing a large crowd, including students.
The Hawk Mk-132 jets performed loops, barrel rolls, inverted flying and dives, while also creating formations such as ‘DNA’ and ‘Y’ (Yuva) using smoke trails.
The aircraft, which took off from the Air Force station here, flew directly over the lake during the show.
Various manoeuvres they formed included a twist in the air and changing direction by 90 degrees to form the shape of a clover, a symbol of hope, faith and good luck. The show concluded with all nine aircraft coming together in a special ‘aerial salute’ formation.
The SKAT is among the world’s elite aerobatic squads and has represented the Indian Air Force at various international air shows.
Several students present at the venue said they were thrilled by the performance, while an elderly man described the display as reflecting the team’s motto, “Sadaiva Sarvottam” (always the best).
Senior officials, including Chandigarh Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad and Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, were present at the event.
Before the airshow, members of the SKAT here paid a courtesy call on Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria at the Punjab Lok Bhavan on Thursday.
This is the second visit of the aerobatics demonstration team to Chandigarh in the past six months. In September 2025, the SKAT performed here during the ceremony marking the culmination of the MiG-21 operational flying.
The airshow is being held over two days, with Sukhna Lake closed to the public from March 26 till the afternoon of March 28.
Buses were arranged from seven designated points, and entry was allowed only through passes purchased via the Chandigarh Tourism app at Rs 100 each, with the venue capacity capped at 10,000 persons per day.
Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur on Thursday told reporters that over 1,300 police personnel will be deployed for traffic, security and crowd management.
