Airbus, Tata to set up pilot training centre in Gurugram

Hyderabad, Jan 18 (IANS) Airbus has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with the Tata-owned Air India to launch a world-class pilot training centre in Gurugram, Haryana.

The Tata Airbus Training Centre will offer A320 and A350 flight training to some 5,000 new pilots over 10 years.

The announcement was made at Wings India 2024, Asia's largest event on civil aviation, that began here Thursday.

Airbus said that the sprawling 3,300 square meter centre will be equipped with 10 Full Flight Simulators (FFS), flight training classrooms and briefing and debriefing rooms as part of the complete Airbus Flight Training Device setup. The training centre is due to be operational starting early 2025 with the initial installation of four A320 FFS.

The Tata Airbus Training Centre will offer courses approved by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Airbus has also partnered with GMR Aero Technic to offer Aircraft Maintenance Engineering training courses at the latter’s facility in Hyderabad. Airbus will provide training material such as trainee handbooks, examination database, online access to Airbus customised training modules and Airbus Competence Training (ACT) Academy media package. Airbus will also train GMR instructors and provide continual assessment of the training centre.

“As the fastest expanding aviation market in the world, India will need 41,000 pilots and 47,000 technicians in the next 20 years to support this growth. The pilot training centre with Air India and the maintenance training partnership with GMR are a testament to Airbus’ commitment to developing human capital. Airbus is directly investing and operating training capabilities to ensure that the growth of the India aviation industry is accompanied by adequate skilled manpower that is readily available,” said Remi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia.

The latest announcements are part of Airbus’ ambition to develop a holistic ecosystem in India, where the company is expanding its industrial footprint with aircraft assembly, component manufacturing, engineering design and development, MRO support, pilot and maintenance training as well as academic collaboration to foster human capital.

Airbus is also collaborating with the Vadodara-based Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to groom talent for the Indian aerospace sector.