Tata Group-run Air India will invest over Rs 200 crore to create South Asia’s largest flying training organization (FTO) in Maharashtra.
The facility will be set up at Amravati’s Belora airport in collaboration with the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), where infrastructure has recently improved.
“The infrastructure at Belora airport was recently upgraded and it now has instrument-landing and night-landing systems,” said Swati Pandey, MD of MADC.
The MADC allowed Air India to set up and manage a 30-year FTO licensed by the DGCA.
The airline said the flying school is expected to be operational by mid-2026, aiming to train 180 commercial pilots every year.
This is the first FTO of an Indian airline, equipped with 31 single-engine and 3 twin-engine aircraft for training.
According to reports, the 10-acre facility will have smart classrooms, top-class hostels, digital operations centers, and independent maintenance facilities, all of which enhance functionality.
This collaboration between MADC and Air India will create over 3,000 new opportunities in the aviation sector.
“The flight training establishment in Amravati will be a significant step towards making Indian aviation more self-reliant and providing more opportunities for the youth in India to fulfill their ambitions of flying as pilots,” said Campbell Wilson, MD, and CEO, of Air India.
Along with the growth of aviation infrastructure in India, airlines are looking to develop domestic capabilities to train the next generation of employees.
India’s largest airframe maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company, GMR Aero Technics, has invested Rs 50 crore in addition to Air India’s new pilot training school initiative.
Also, IndiGo has announced a partnership with Garuda Aviation Academy to train aspiring pilots as junior first officers through its Cadet Pilot Programme.
