India had issued 756 commercial pilot licenses this year by 23^rd November, 2021, which is an all-time high.  Shri Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, however, expressed concern that over 40 per cent of these licenses have been issued to cadets who have undergone their flying training in foreign flight training organisations (FTOs). He said that there is a need to expand the capacity of Indian FTOs with a view to reduce the dependence on foreign FTOs.

Speaking about actions taken to bridge the gap, Shri Scindia said a liberalized FTO policy has been announced by Airports Authority of India (AAI) wherein the concept of airport royalty was abolished and annual fee was rationalized significantly for new FTOs to be set up at AAI airports.  He said AAI has issued award letters for nine flying schools to be established at five airports in early to mid 2022.

The Minister stated that various regulatory reforms have been taken to enhance growth of flying hours, productivity, quality standards and long term sustainability of FTOs. He said that with a close collaboration between the Government, regulatory authorities, FTOs, aerospace companies and the airline industry, India has the potential to become a global flying training hub by 2030.

Source: Texts are excerpted from Press Information Bureau – Government of India Press Release

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