French President Macron To Visit This City In India First. Here's His Itinerary

New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Mumbai and Delhi during their visit to India from February 16-19. He will be accompanied by First Lady Madame Brigitte Macron. 

The French President is slated to arrive in Mumbai on February 16 and meet with Prime Minister Modi in the Maharashtra capital on February 17. As per reports from ANI, the two leader will then be traveling to Delhi to attend the AI ​​Impact Summit 2026.

Earlier in a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, it was shared that the French President will be visiting India on February 17-19.

“At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the President of the French Republic, H.E. Emmanuel Macron, will pay an official visit to India on 17-19 February 2026. During the visit, both leaders will hold discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas as enshrined in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap,” the MEA stated.

“In addition, the leaders will discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The two leaders will also be in Mumbai to jointly inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation, which will be celebrated throughout 2026 in both countries. On 19 February, President Macron will participate in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi,” it added.

The Rafale Deal Clearance

Macron's visit comes soon after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the long-awaited Medium Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme, clearing the proposal to procure 114 Rafale multirole fighter jets from France at an estimated cost of Rs 3.25 lakh crore.

The decision was taken at a high-level DAC meeting convened to consider a series of high-value defence procurements ahead of Macron’s visit to India. 

As part of the deal, 18 of the 114 Rafale jets will be procured in fly-away condition. The rest will be manufactured in India with up to 60% indigenous content, aligning with India’s push to strengthen local defence manufacturing and technology transfer.

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