MUMBAI- Tata Group-owned Air India (AI) is planning to establish its own flying school to train pilots in the country. According to a report by ET, a Gurugram-based carrier will set up the training academy in Amravati, Maharashtra, the hub for pilot training in India.
Initially, the newly built school will be able to train around 180 pilots per year.
Air India Flying School
The Indian full-service will provide an opportunity to young aspirants who have zero to less flying experience. In short, it’s a direct gateway to Air India’s cockpit.
Air India employee aware of this new development told ET that, “Air India aims to control the supply of next-generation pilots, making the school a crucial part of its long-term talent pipeline. Additionally, the airline wants to ensure high-quality training. The training quality at flying schools in India has significant gaps, forcing students to study abroad.”
The training fleet of Air India will include 30 single-engine piper aircraft and 4 multi-engine Diamond aircraft.
Apart from this, low-cost carriers such as IndiGo (6E) and SpiceJet (SG) already have affiliations with flying schools to train pilots and run a cadet program. India’s largest airline in terms of market share, IndiGo has a partnership with 7 flying schools.
Well, to become a pilot in India, it usually costs around 1 cr to 2 cr, depending on the curriculum and quality of the flying school. Following this, roughly 40% of students prefer international training for cost-effectiveness and quality.
Exclusive Training
In the beginning, Air India will train pilots for its internal utilization, but they have plans to expand it to train pilots for others in the future.
Currently, the airline has simulators for type training and recurrent pilot training. These are situated in Gurgaon with the help of Airbus and L3 Harris Technology company.
Well, for those who are now aware of how to become a pilot, and what is Type-training and Recurrent training, here’s a brief on it.
To become a pilot, the eligible aspirant must clear his/her theoretical exams, ab-initio training to obtain the basic licence. Thereupon, aspirant pilots require type-training to fly a particular type of aircraft and to get license endorsement, for example, Airbus A320, A350, or Boeing 737, 777, or 787. While recurrent training as the name implies, it’s for pilots to stay up-to-date with the latest updates and new technological advancements in aircraft to retain the license.
Former AirAsia India CEO Sunil Bhaskaran, now the managing director of Air India Aviation Academy, is overseeing the establishment of the airline’s training infrastructure.
Currently, Indian Airlines has placed orders for 1200+ new Planes and many are undelivered from previous orders. Following this, there will be a steep rise in demand for new pilots to fly these new metalbirds.
Fly High: Cadet Program
In February 2024, Air India Group announced the launch of Fly High, the cadet program for pilots. The Gurugram-based carrier will provide CPL ground training at its state-of-the-art facility.
The Air India Training Academy collaborates with global original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to deliver top-notch training support and develop a customized curriculum aligned with Air India’s standards.
Equipped with simulators for pilot training across the Air India fleet, the Training Academy will offer type ratings to Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holders enrolled in the Air India Cadet Pilot Programme, tailored to meet Air India’s fleet requirements.
For aviation training, the airline has formed partnerships with two international schools: AeroGuard Flight Training Center (located in Phoenix, Chandler, and Austin) and L3Harris Group (operating in the US and UK).
Click Here to Learn the Eligibility Criteria and Steps to Join the Program: Air India Announces New Cadet Program for Pilots: Fly High – Aviation A2Z
Kapil Kaul, CEO of CAPA India once said,
The shortage of trained personnel is much more severe than currently estimated or apparent for Indian airlines, and poaching by Middle Eastern carriers is likely to worsen the labor shortage.”
Kapil Kaul, CEO of CAPA India
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