The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), in partnership with Air India, is set to establish South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organization (FTO) at Amravati’s Bellora airport in Maharashtra. With world-class flying infrastructure developed by MADC, Air India plans to begin flying operations by April-May 2025 and have the project fully functional by mid-2026. This initiative aims to significantly transform India’s aviation industry, which is currently facing pilot shortages. This DGCA-licensed FTO will also be the first one established by an airline in India.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Air India and MADC for this collaborative venture. Subsequently, a high-powered team from Air India, led by Mr. Sunil Bhaskaran, Director of the Aviation Academy, visited Amravati to sketch out the ground-level plans for the project. This initiative aims to graduate 180 commercial pilots annually using 31 single-engine and three twin-engine aircraft. The training program will log over 36,000 flight hours each year, the highest by any Indian FTO.
The project aims to develop a state-of-the-art training institute over 10 acres in Amravati, featuring digitally-enabled classrooms, hostels meeting global academic standards, a digitized operations center, and its own maintenance facility to enhance operational efficiency. This will allow aspiring pilots to embark on their journey to becoming skilled aviators. The FTO’s comprehensive training curriculum will include theoretical classes and dynamic practical flight experience, ensuring top-notch education for the youth of the country.
Spearheading the project, Ms. Swati Pandey, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of MADC, stated that the initiative will not only boost the economic prospects of Vidarbha and invigorate the aviation sector in Maharashtra but also create numerous employment opportunities in allied sectors. MADC will offer state-of-the-art aviation facilities with night flying and instrumental landing capabilities. This is expected to generate over 3,000 jobs in the aviation sector, leading to the overall prosperity of the region. In a couple of years, many people will be flying in aircraft piloted by individuals trained in Amravati.