Rafale combat aircraft flew at lower than its normal speed at Aero India 2019 on Wednesday, news agency ANI reported, as a mark of respect to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, the pilot of the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team who lost his life in a plane crash a day ago. The five-day long biennial event took off in Bengaluru this morning.

A mid-air collision of two planes on Tuesday during rehearsal led to the death of Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi and injury to two more pilots, who ejected to safety. The Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team stayed away from the event.