Infrastructure
Air India To Set Up Flying Training Centre At Amravati Airport, Leads The Way To Enhance Domestic Training Capacity
Swarajya Staff
Jul 02, 2024, 02:45 PM | Updated 02:45 PM IST
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Tata Group-run Air India will establish South Asia's largest flying training organisation (FTO) in Maharashtra, with an investment of more than Rs 200 crore.
The facility, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), will be located at Amravati’s Belora airport, which has recently undergone infrastructure upgrades.
Swati Pandey, MD, MADC, said, “The infrastructure in Belora airport was recently upgraded and it now has the instrument-landing and the night-landing systems.”
Air India secured the tender from MADC to set up and manage this DGCA-licensed FTO for a 30-year duration.
The flying school is expected to commence operations by mid-2026, aiming to graduate 180 commercial pilots annually, according to the airline.
It marks the first FTO established by an Indian airline, equipped with 31 single-engine and 3 twin-engine aircraft for training purposes.
As per reports, the facility, spread over 10 acres, will feature smart classrooms, top-tier hostels, a digitised operations centre, and an independent maintenance facility, all designed to enhance operational efficiency.
This partnership between MADC and Air India is projected to generate more than 3,000 new employment opportunities within the aviation sector.
Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said, “The flying training organisation at Amravati will be a significant step towards making Indian aviation more self-reliant and offering more opportunities to the youth in India to fulfil their ambitions of flying as pilots."
As aviation infrastructure continues to advance in India, aviation firms are increasingly prioritising the development of domestic capabilities to train the next generation of employees, for the anticipated surge in demand for skilled manpower.
In addition to Air India's new pilot training school initiative, the GMR Group, which owns India's largest airframe maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company, GMR Aero Technic, has invested Rs 50 crore to establish its own engineering school.
Furthermore, IndiGo recently announced a partnership with Garuda Aviation Academy to train aspiring pilots as junior first officers through its Cadet Pilot Program.
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