NEW DELHI: Over 5,000 new pilots are expected to be trained over the next decade in the advanced pilot training centre at Gurugram, inaugurated on Tuesday by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. The state-of-the-art facility is a 50:50 joint venture between Airbus and Air India.
In a statement, Naidu said, “Through this joint venture, ten cutting-edge simulators, including India’s first A350 simulators, will be installed with a planned investment of over Rs 1,000 crore.” Billing it as a milestone for India’s rapidly growing aviation ecosystem, the Minister added, “This landmark facility will ensure self-reliance in pilot training, advancing PM Narendra Modiji’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
An official release from the airline said the Air India-Airbus training centre (located inside the Air India Aviation Training Academy) will support the exponential growth of commercial aviation in India. “It is designed to train pilots for the Airbus 320 and A350 aircraft families, and its courses are approved by both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.”
The 12,000 sqm centre is now equipped with two Rull Flight Simulators for the Airbus A320 family aircraft. It will be further equipped with six A320 simulators and two A350 simulators progressively, the release said.
JürgenWestermeier, President & Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said, “This is more than a joint venture; it is a strategic investment in the future of the Indian aerospace industry itself. India is a strategic powerhouse for Airbus, and this state-of-the-art facility is a testament to our belief in its immense potential.”
Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said:“Air India is in an expansion mode with 570 new aircraft on order and the new pilot training centre at our Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram,a part of which is being executed with Airbus, will help train and upskill pilots who will fuel Air India’s ambition of becoming a world-class airline. This facility is a major step forward in our transformation journey and in making Air India and the Indian aviation industry more self-reliant.”
The existing Air India Aviation Training Academy, opened in 2024, is already South Asia’s biggest aviation training academy. It is currently training over 2,000 aviation professionals. Within the next few years, it plans to train over 50,000 aviation professionals, including pilots, cabin crew, ground handling, engineering, and security staff. It has the best-in-class equipment for immersive training on Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) along with service training, grooming, voice, and accent training for cabin crew, the release said.
In addition, Air India is also in the process of setting up South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organisation (FTO) at Amravati in Maharashtra which aims to graduate 180 commercial pilots annually, it added.