The project is likely to be the largest pilot training centre in India and South Asia. Amravati : The Air India (AI) Flying Training Academy at Belora airport in Amravati is officially ready for take-off as Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted it the Certificate of Approval on Friday.
The academy is planning to start actual flight training within a month, with the first batch comprising 180 cadets. Spread over 10 acres, the campus is a self-contained, fully equipped complex with hostels, dining hall, ultra-modern classrooms, briefing rooms, hangars and a dedicated aircraft maintenance facility. The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) course will be of 18 months. Each trainee will have to complete 200 hours of actual flying — 185 hours on single-engine and 15 hours on multi-engine aircraft. Experts say Amravati’s favourable weather will allow flying for at least 300 days a year, making it an ideal location for pilot training.
The formal date will be announced after final operational procedures are completed. In addition, cadets will get three flight simulators (two single-engine and one multi-engine) for practice before they take to the skies. Focusing on individual excellence, the academy will maintain a ratio of just six trainees per flight instructor.
The training fleet at Belora Airport includes 31 single-engine Piper Archer aircraft and three twin-engine Diamond DA42 NG aircraft — a total of 34 state-of-the-art planes. Developed jointly by Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) and Tata Group-owned Air India, the academy is 95% complete, and all 34 training aircraft are positioned at the airfield. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nagpur | Silver Rate in Nagpur | Bank Holidays in Nagpur | Public Holidays in Nagpur | Petrol Price in Nagpur | Diesel Price in Nagpur | CNG Price in Nagpur | LPG Price in Nagpur Stay updated with the latest Nagpur news.
It will help strengthen pilot training facility in the country and provide a boost to the aviation sector,” AI said on X. “The approval makes it the first flying academy established by an Indian airline in the country. All the aircraft are equipped with modern Garmin G1000 NXi cockpit systems and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology. The DGCA approval paves the way for aspiring pilots from across the country to get world-class training in Maharashtra. Download the TOI App.