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Air India is setting up South Asia's largest flight training school with an investment of over ₹200 crore in Maharashtra's Amravati district.
The school which will ensure a a steady pipeline of pilots for the airline will open in first quarter of next financial year. Air India is the first airline to set up such a training school and the initiative comes on the backdrop of its mega order of 470 Airbus and Boeing aircraft in 2023. It is estimated that the airline would require 500-700 pilots each year for its expansion plan.
The flying school
Air India has partnered with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) which has leased a 10-acre plot at Amravati on a thirty year lease. It will have 31 single-engine Piper and three twin-engine Diamond aircraft and will train 180 commercial pilots annually.
Over 1,600 commercial pilot licences were issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 2023 - highest in the decade. These include conversion of licences of pilots who trained overseas. While there are over 34 approved training schools in India, around 40 per cent of pilots complete their commercial pilots licence training overseas.
Self-reliance
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 fulfill their ambitions of flying as pilots. "
Air India has a fleet of around 140 aircraft now and has hired over a thousand pilots in past two years
"We have increased the length of runway from 1,372 metres to 1,850 metres and installed all modern navigation aids. Night landing facility is available at Amravati. More than 300 days of clean visibility is available at Amravati and the flying school will be able to make optimal use to train pilots," said Swati Pandey, MADC's vice chairman and managing director.
"We are delighted to be playing a part in building the aviation infrastructure India needs as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets and to support the government’s vision for an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, Director, Aviation Academy, Air India
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