With the launch of this facility, India’s national carrier is consolidating its pilot training infrastructure into a single hub at the Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram.
Air India and Airbus have inaugurated a state-of-the-art pilot training centre at the Air India Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram, Haryana. The 12,000 sq m facility will train over 5,000 new pilots in the next decade, supporting the rapid expansion of India’s commercial aviation sector.
The 50:50 joint venture was formally launched by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, in the presence of Christian Scherer, CEO, Commercial Aircraft, Airbus, Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, and senior representatives from the Tata Group, Air India, and Airbus.
Equipped with ten full-flight simulators (FFSs), advanced classrooms, and briefing rooms, the centre is designed to train pilots for Airbus A320 and A350 aircraft families. Courses are approved by both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), ensuring compliance with global standards. Currently, two A320 FFSs are operational, with six additional A320 simulators and two A350 simulators to be installed in phases.
Jürgen Westermeier, President & Managing Director, Airbus India & South Asia, described the centre as a strategic investment in India’s aerospace future. “This is more than a joint venture; it reflects our belief in India’s immense potential as a global aviation powerhouse,” he said.
Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, added, “With 570 new aircraft on order, this facility will help train and upskill the pilots who will power Air India’s transformation. It marks a major step in building the aviation infrastructure India needs as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.”
The Gurugram facility consolidates Air India’s pilot training infrastructure into a single hub.
Training Capacity Expansion
The Air India Aviation Training Academy, established in 2024, is already South Asia’s largest aviation training centre, currently training over 2,000 aviation professionals daily. Over the next few years, it is expected to train more than 50,000 personnel, including pilots, cabin crew, engineers, ground handlers, and security staff.
The academy features immersive training modules for safety and emergency procedures (SEP), service delivery, grooming, and voice and accent refinement for cabin crew. Ground and security staff undergo training in departure control, customer service, airport security, and operational refreshers.
In parallel, Air India is developing South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organisation (FTO) at Belora Airport in Amravati, Maharashtra. Licensed by the DGCA, the FTO will graduate 180 commercial pilots annually to meet rising demand.
A new Basic Maintenance Training Organisation (BMTO) is also under development near Air India’s upcoming Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Bengaluru. Scheduled to be operational in FY27, the BMTO will offer a two-year integrated Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) programme certified by DGCA, followed by two years of practical on-job training at the MRO.