National Flying Training Institute (NFTI), CAE’s flight training organisation in India, was visited by its airline partner IndiGo including Senior Vice President Flight Operations Capt. Ashim Mitra, Capt. Rajeev Singh, Capt. Rajiv Bhalla, and Mr. Tapas Dey.

Earlier in February Honorable Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, interacted with the cadets of the National Flying Training Institute (NFTI).

Established in 2007, CAE Gondia, also known as National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) is a joint venture between CAE and the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

In January 2023 IndiGo announced the extension of its service agreement with CAE, IndiGo’s Cadet Pilot Programme. Under this agreement, IndiGo will expand its partnership with CAE for a tailormade pilot career programme to meet the needs of future Junior First Officer (JFO) requirements and contribute to IndiGo’s strategic expansion plans.

The partnership with CAE started in 2011 and till December 2023, IndiGo has inducted close to 941 Cadets as Junior First Officers from this programme. CAE offers end-to-end pilot training solutions at their state- of-the-art training facility in Gondia, Maharashtra, which is a fully equipped Flight Training Organisation (FTO) equipped with modern glass cockpit and Diamond training aircraft. IndiGo’s cadet pilots have also been trained at CAE international locations such as Phoenix in USA, Melbourne, and Tamworth in Australia.

Captain Ashim Mittra, Senior Vice President Flight Operations, IndiGo, said, “We are delighted to further strengthen our long-standing association with CAE for our Cadet Pilot Programme. This partnership has helped us in establishing a strong backbone of well-trained cadet pilots, who are crucial for our existing needs and long-term growth plans. As India’s largest airline, we are expanding our network both within India and overseas, and this extended partnership will be key to creating a pool of skilled young pilots trained from the ground-up. CAE has a demonstrated history of world class infrastructure and curriculum that is critical for the level of excellence needed for a world class airline culture like IndiGo’s.”

The IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme was initiated in 2006, as the airline began commercial operations. The first batch of 39 cadet pilots were trained in the USA. Over the years, the programme has been a major success, with some from the first batch going to become Captains, Trainers and even taking on leadership roles within IndiGo.

Source: Chuck Pulakhandam (CAE)
Photo Credit: Chuck Pulakhandam