Modi’s Aircraft Gets Royal F-16 Fighter Jet Welcome as He Lands in Abu Dhabi

PM Narendra Modi touched down in Abu Dhabi on Friday the first stop of his five-nation tour as UAE F-16 fighter jets escorted his aircraft through the country’s airspace. Against the backdrop of the Iran-US war and a shut Strait of Hormuz, this visit carries enormous energy and diplomatic significance for India.

F-16 Jets Roll Out the Sky-High Welcome for PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Abu Dhabi on Friday and the UAE made absolutely sure the world noticed. As his aircraft entered UAE airspace, a formation of UAE Air Force F-16 fighter jets flanked his plane a spectacular aerial gesture of welcome rarely seen for visiting heads of state. The BJP shared footage of the dramatic escort on social media, and it quickly spread across platforms. It was the kind of arrival that signals just how deep and how crucial the India-UAE bond has become.

This is Modi’s eighth visit to the UAE. Both nations share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the timing of this trip could not be more loaded with urgency.

A Visit Shadowed by the Iran Crisis and a Closed Strait

The Strait of Hormuz through which a huge chunk of India’s oil and LPG flows remains shut. Iran closed the critical waterway in retaliation against the US-Israel military campaign against it. The impact on India has been severe. India imported just 0.95 million tonnes of LPG in April well below the usual two-million-tonne monthly average. Crude oil imports fell by 15% in April compared to February. Nearly 90% of India’s LPG imports and around 55% of its crude oil passed through the Strait during peacetime.

Former Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Sanjay Sudhir, captured the urgency bluntly: “Hormuz is closed today, but Hormuz has never been closed in the past. It is for the first time that this is closed and I am very hopeful that going by the discussions between the parties, it will open up at some point.”

India and UAE Set to Sign Key Energy Deals

At the heart of Modi’s Abu Dhabi agenda are two expected memorandums of understanding one on LPG supplies and another on Strategic Petroleum Reserves. The UAE is already India’s largest LPG supplier and the fourth-largest source of crude imports. India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve capacity sits at 5.33 million metric tonnes, with 77% already occupied.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company had previously agreed to stock nearly six million barrels at India’s Mangaluru reserve facility. Now, with the Hormuz crisis deepening, locking in supply agreements with Abu Dhabi becomes not just smart but essential.

Adding more strategic weight: the UAE recently exited OPEC, freeing it to ramp up crude production toward five million barrels per day. Indian companies are expected to push for long-term contracts.

UAE Minister Calls Modi a “True Treasure”

The warmth from the UAE side was palpable even before Modi landed. UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy, called the Prime Minister a “true treasure” for UAE leadership and its people. “Team India and Team UAE work closely,” she told ANI adding that the bilateral relationship was ready to scale “new mountaintops” in trade and technology.

She also spoke candidly about the Hormuz crisis. Energy supplies around the world had been disrupted because the waterway was “taken hostage” by Iran. “You are having many people all around the world, including in India, really struggle with basic household needs. That is something that will certainly feature in our conversations,” she said.

Modi received a formal guard of honour on arrival in Abu Dhabi with the national anthems of both countries played before heading into bilateral talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Discussions are centred on energy cooperation, trade, investment, and the growing regional instability.

The UAE’s 4.5 Million Indian Residents Add Another Layer

Beyond geopolitics and energy, the people-to-people connection between India and the UAE remains extraordinary. The UAE is home to roughly 4.5 million Indians its largest expatriate community who have played a defining role in building the nation. India and UAE bilateral trade is robust and the Emirates serves as a gateway for Indian exports into the Middle East and Africa.

Modi last visited the UAE in 2024, where he addressed 40,000 Indians at Zayed Sports City Stadium and inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple.

Five Nations, One Big Strategic Swing

Abu Dhabi is just the first stop. Modi’s five-nation tour runs from May 15 to 20 covering the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy. Each leg carries its own set of priorities: semiconductors and green hydrogen in the Netherlands, AI and supply chains in Sweden, the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo, and clean energy and defence talks in Rome.

But for now, all eyes are on Abu Dhabi where fighter jets in the sky said more than any diplomatic communiqué ever could.