First-of-its-kind! Air India to reportedly launch its own flying school in Amravati to combat pilot shortage

Air India plans to address an anticipated pilot shortage in the Indian aviation sector by establishing a pilot training academy in Amravati, Maharashtra. The academy, as reported by The Economic Times, will have the capability to train 180 pilots each year.

Individuals aspiring to become pilots without any prior flying experience will be able to enroll in the full-time academy. Upon completing subsequent stages of training, they will have a direct opportunity to join Air India's cockpit.

This will be the first time that an Indian airlines will establish its own training school

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This marks a significant departure in the strategy employed by Indian airlines for pilot training. Until now, major carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet have typically established branded training programs in collaboration with independent flight schools both in India and overseas. For example, IndiGo has partnerships with seven flight schools.

The airline has chosen approximately 30 single-engine and four multi-engine aircraft from American manufacturer Piper and European manufacturer Diamond.

¡°Air India wants to be in control of the supply next generation of pilots which. The school will be a critical part of the national carrier¡¯s long-term talent pipeline. Second is the airline wants to ensure quality of training. The quality of training in flying schools in India leaves a lot of gap forcing students to go abroad,¡± a source aware of the development told ET.

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The initiative will reduce pilot training cost which lie between Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore

Meanwhile, the government is actively promoting pilot training within India, given that currently, more than 40 percent of students opt to pursue their training abroad, which costs between Rs 1.5 to 2 crore.

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Initially, the academy will prioritize meeting Air India's internal pilot training needs, with future plans by the Tata group to extend training opportunities to external candidates, according to the business daily.

In addition, Air India has forged partnerships with Airbus and US-based L3 Harris to establish a training center in Gurugram. This facility will feature six simulators tailored for type-rated and recurrent training, as outlined in the news report.

Aviation training regulations mandate that aspiring pilots complete ab initio training for obtaining a licence, type-rated training specific to aircraft such as the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, and annual recurrent training to maintain their licence endorsements.

Sunil Bhaskaran, a veteran of the Tata group and former CEO of AirAsia India, is spearheading the development of Air India's training infrastructure, as per the newspaper report.

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