French President Emmanuel Macron is set to arrive in India late on February 16 for a packed three-day visit alongside his wife Brigitte Macron. Touching down at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport around 11:30 PM, Macron’s itinerary kicks off the next morning with high-level engagements that underscore the deepening India-France partnership.
On February 17, Macron will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 3:15 PM in Lok Bhawan for crucial bilateral talks. Expect the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and a joint statement highlighting commitments across key sectors. The afternoon transitions into innovation-focused events, with the India-France Innovation Forum at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace at 5:20 PM, followed by a ceremonial event at Gateway of India at 8:15 PM to launch the India-France Year of Innovation and Cultural Commemoration, running through 2026.
Shifting to New Delhi on February 18, Macron heads to Bharat Mandapam at 1 PM. The following day, February 19, sees him back at the venue from 8:45 AM for the AI Impact Summit’s opening. A family photo at 9:15 AM precedes his participation in the opening ceremony at 9:40 AM. He will tour country pavilions at 10:40 AM, join a leaders’ family photo at 11:30 AM with HOSS/HOGS ministers, and engage in a leaders’ plenary and working lunch by noon. Macron departs for France at 3:45 PM.
This visit builds on the Horizon 2047 roadmap, with discussions on regional cooperation, including the Indo-Pacific. Both leaders will inaugurate the Year of Innovation in Mumbai. The AI Impact Summit, from February 16-20 at Bharat Mandapam, marks the first such global event in the Global South, inaugurated by PM Modi. It spotlights AI’s role in India’s development, governance, public services, inclusive growth, and Vision 2047, leveraging India’s linguistic and cultural diversity for multilingual AI systems.
Coming after PM Modi’s France trip, the visit reinforces strategic peace, mutual trust, and shared ambitions between the two nations.