NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has barred South Asia's largest flight training school, Redbird Flight Training Academy, from admitting fresh students to its pilot training programmes until August 31, 2027, following multiple complaints from trainee pilots.
Redbird operates bases in Baramati, Kalaburagi, Lilabari, Belagavi and Seoni. This is the second major action taken against the academy.
The DGCA suspended its operations for two months in October 2023 after it was involved in five incidents over six months.
On April 4, 2026, one of its aircraft was involved in an air ambulance crash in Jharkhand that killed seven people.
The DGCA order, dated July 16, said action had been initiated against Redbird for five reasons: prolonged delays in completing training; unilateral revision of training charges to Rs 3,000 per flying hour citing higher fuel costs; inadequate and disproportionate fee refunds; execution of revised agreements imposing additional charges; and the alleged denial of access to training facilities for students unwilling to accept the revised terms.
The regulator also carried out a spot inspection of the academy's premises on July 8, during which it found multiple discrepancies, the order said.
According to the DGCA, Redbird currently has 435 active and 92 inactive trainee pilots. Under aviation regulations, there should be no more than 10 trainee pilots per aircraft.
Karan Mann, a Senior Manager at Redbird, confirmed receipt of the order.
“We have more than 500 students presently and have 43 aircraft. We had placed an order for ten more aircraft and they are expected to arrive shortly. Due to global tensions, they have got delayed. We have plans for the future, including opening new bases across India shortly, including in Uttar Pradesh.”
The DGCA has also directed Redbird to allocate flying hours in a 70:30 ratio between students enrolled up to 2024 and those enrolled in 2025 or later.
