India – Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu has awarded Letters of Intent (LoIs) for the establishment of 11 new Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) across seven Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports and launched the FTO IFR Slot Booking Mobile App on the same day.

Current Indian FTO ecosystem: 41 FTOs operating from 63 flying bases with 385 training aircraft, up from 324 aircraft over the past two years.
CPL issuances: 1,347 in 2024, rising to 1,652 in 2025 (the highest in a decade), with further increase expected in 2026.
Indian airlines have 1,640 aircraft on order, with nearly 500 aircraft expected to be inducted over the next five years.
Government policy reforms supporting FTO expansion include liberalisation of FTO policy, abolition of airport royalties, rationalisation of land rentals, digitisation of CPL examination via the Pariksha Portal, and India becoming the second country globally to issue electronic pilot licences.
IGRUA achieved 1,765 flying hours per aircraft annually over the past six months — significantly higher than the global benchmark of approximately 1,500 hours — and recorded a 27% increase in revenue during FY 2025-26, closing with a budget surplus after more than two decades of recurring deficits.
The FTO IFR Slot Booking Mobile App has been launched to facilitate IFR training and ensure fair, optimum utilisation of airport infrastructure, allowing FTOs to view available IFR training slots across AAI airports and submit booking requests digitally.
Indigenous HANSA-3 (NG) trainer aircraft development is progressing as part of self-reliant aviation training ecosystem strengthening.

Statements

"Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. Guided by the vision of Viksit Bharat and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we are simultaneously expanding aviation infrastructure and building a future-ready workforce to support the sector's long-term growth," said Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation.
"India has already witnessed the establishment of six new FTOs over the last two years. During this period, the number of training aircraft available with Indian FTOs has increased from 324 to 385, resulting in a 25% rise in annual flying hours across the pilot training ecosystem. This is not just expansion in numbers; it is a clear improvement in training capacity and operational utilization," said Shri Naidu.
"Indian airlines currently have 1,640 aircraft on order, and nearly 500 aircraft are expected to be inducted over the next five years. Meeting this unprecedented growth requires a strong domestic pipeline of trained aviation professionals. Our vision is clear — 'Train in India, Fly in India'," said Shri Naidu.
"The ranking framework was introduced to make pilot training more transparent, data-driven and attractive for young aspirants and their families. I am pleased to see that the framework is already yielding measurable improvements, with a reduction in Category 'C' FTOs and an increase in Category 'B' FTOs. IGRUA has also achieved an average of 1,765 flying hours per aircraft annually over the last six months, significantly higher than the global benchmark of around 1,500 hours. The Academy has also recorded a 27% increase in revenue during FY 2025-26 and closed the year with a budget surplus after more than two decades of recurring deficits," said Shri Naidu.
"One word must remain at the centre of all our efforts — safety. We must strengthen instructor oversight, ensure rigorous adherence to standard operating procedures and build a deep-rooted safety culture across all FTOs," said Shri Naidu.

Source: Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)

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