New Delhi, October 30, 2026: Outgoing Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has already been accorded three official farewell events ahead of his superannuation on October 31, 2026. A final ceremonial Guard of Honour is scheduled for tomorrow at Air Force Station, New Delhi, on his last day in office.
Senior officials confirmed that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh extended an official farewell to Air Chief Marshal Singh on October 26, prior to the Minister’s departure on a foreign visit. Senior Air Force commanders hosted a farewell dinner for him on October 27 at the Akash Officers’ Mess near India Gate. Air Headquarters organised a farewell party on October 28 at the Air Force auditorium in Subroto Park.
The final official farewell will take the form of a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Air Force Station, New Delhi, located opposite the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. Air Chief Marshal Singh is superannuating after a 25-month tenure as the 28th Chief of the Air Staff. He assumed charge on September 30, 2024, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
As part of the farewell arrangements, the Ministry of Defence granted special clearance for Air Chief Marshal Singh to fly with his first flying instructor, Wing Commander V.S. Kochhar (Retd). On October 20, he undertook his last sortie in uniform in an HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 trainer (tail number U-707) at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal, near Hyderabad—the same aircraft type and location where he began his flying training on January 28, 1984. The 55-minute flight closed a more than four-decade circle; he received a water-cannon salute on landing. Special high-level permissions are required for any retired or civilian personnel to fly in military aircraft.
Earlier, on October 12 during Exercise Tarang Shakti at Jodhpur, he flew his final fighter sortie in the indigenous LCA Tejas. Air Chief Marshal Singh, a Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test Pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, was commissioned into the fighter stream on December 21, 1984, after graduating from the Air Force Academy with the Sword of Honour. Born on October 27, 1964, he is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. He is known within the service for his interest in squash.
Officials clarified that the traditional “golfing-out” event was an unofficial farewell and could not be held because the Indian Air Force Sports Complex on Lok Kalyan Marg had been closed. Remarks about the three official events came amid some speculation that a farewell was being withheld due to the land of the Air Force golf course being taken over by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, currently Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will assume charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff in the rank of Air Chief Marshal on the afternoon of October 31. Commissioned into the fighter stream in December 1986, he is an Experimental Test Pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor with over 3,500 flying hours on aircraft including the Mirage-2000, Jaguar, MiG variants, Hawk and Tejas. His tenure is scheduled to run until December 31, 2028. He has previously served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.
The transition marks the conclusion of Air Chief Marshal Singh’s leadership of the Indian Air Force after nearly four decades of service.
