Indian Flight School Begins First Airline-Linked Cadet Pilot Training Cohort in September 2026

India – Skynex Aero has welcomed AKS01, its first batch of cadets under Akasa Air's SkyCadet Pilot Training Programme. The induction moves the airline-linked pathway from recruitment into active training, supporting Akasa's longer-term requirement for Boeing 737 MAX pilots as its fleet expands.

• Akasa Air separately confirmed in September that the first SkyCadet cohort had been formally inducted, with India's Minister of Civil Aviation participating in the launch.
• The SkyCadet pathway comprises three stages: ground school, DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence flight training and Boeing 737 MAX Type Rating training.
• Skynex currently operates an 18-aircraft fleet comprising 15 Piper Archer DXs, two Cessna 172s and one Tecnam P2006T. The academy operates flight training bases at Jalgaon in Maharashtra and Mehsana in Gujarat, with ground-school facilities in New Delhi.
• Skynex holds DGCA FTO approval 01/2022, currently listed as valid through 30 May 2027. The academy reports 17 single-engine and one multi-engine training aircraft, 30 instructors and six designated examiners.
• AFM previously reported that Akasa Air launched the self-funded SkyCadet pathway in June 2026 with two approved Indian FTO partners, covering ground school, CPL training and Boeing 737 MAX Type Rating. The start of AKS01 represents the first Skynex-specific cohort progressing into that pathway. 

About Akasa Air
Akasa Air is an Indian airline headquartered in Mumbai that commenced commercial operations in August 2022 and operates an all-Boeing 737 MAX fleet. The carrier has placed firm orders covering 226 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, supporting a long-term requirement for additional trained flight crew. Akasa publicly announced its 42nd aircraft induction on 1 September 2026.

Source: Skynex Aero