Market Intelligence: -Airline Hiring

Skyborne Sets New Record with Intake of IndiGo Cadets in October 2025

India & USA – Skyborne Airline Academy is celebrating its largest ever intake of cadets from the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program, as 41 aspiring pilots sign Letters of Intent (LoIs) at a ceremony in Gurgaon.

As IndiGo, India’s preferred airline, proceeds on its path of global expansion and growth, the record intake at Skyborne reflects its significant role in producing airline-ready cadets. It also underscores Skyborne’s mission to encourage diversity in the flight deck, with almost 20% of the latest intake being female. Since the programme began in 2019, women have made up more than 15% of Skyborne’s IndiGo cadets – nearly triple the global average of 5.8%*1.

Rina Basu, Regional Director (Asia Pacific), Skyborne, says: “Our latest record-breaking Skyborne intake for IndiGo cadets is another proud milestone for us. It demonstrates the strength of our partnership and the ambition of the next generation of pilots. We’re especially encouraged to see more women choosing this path, helping shape a more inclusive future in the cockpit.”

The new recruits will begin training at Skyborne’s base in Vero Beach, Florida, before returning to India for licence conversion and type rating. Upon completion, they will take up positions as A320 Junior First Officers with India’s leading airline, IndiGo.

Industry forecasts project a global demand for 660,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, with South Asia accounting for 45,000 of that total*2. Against this backdrop, Skyborne’s partnership with IndiGo is delivering a steady pipeline of highly trained, professional cadets to help meet growing demand.

*1 Women pilots represent around 5.8% of the global pilot population.
*2 Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025-2044.

Source: Skyborne

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Air India Training Academy CEO Visits US Flight Training Group AeroGuard Flight Training Center in October 2025

Arizona, USA – global flight training group AeroGuard Flight Training Center welcomed Sunil Bhaskaran, CEO and Director of the Air India Aviation Academy, to its Phoenix campus, where he met with Air India cadets enrolled in the airline’s Cadet Pilot Program.

  • Mr Bhaskaran addressed the Air India cadets, providing insight into the airline’s training roadmap and encouraging them to maintain a strong focus on safety, professionalism, and consistency throughout their training journey.

  • AeroGuard Flight Trainng Center CEO Joel Davidson also spoke with the cadets, emphasizing AeroGuard’s role in shaping future airline pilots through its structured, safety-first training approach.

  • AeroGuard currently has four Air India cadet batches in training, with a fifth batch having commenced ground school in India earlier this month.

  • AeroGuard has recently surpassed 120 aircraft in its training fleet, continuing to expand with an additional five Piper Archers scheduled for delivery later this month. These aircraft are part of AeroGuard’s 90-aircraft order from Piper Aircraft, which will bring the fleet total to 130 aircraft by the end of 2025.

Source: AeroGuard Flight Training Center

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Air India Training Academy CEO Shares Update on 4 Pillars Highlighting India’s Pilot Training Infrastructure Expansion

India – Air India has formally inaugurated the Air India–Airbus Training Center, one of four key pillars of the Air India Aviation Academy, marking a major milestone in the airline’s broader aviation education and training expansion strategy. The inauguration was led by India’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, alongside Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and Airbus CEO of Commercial Aircraft Christian Scherer. The ceremony was attended by members of the Global Airbus SE Board, senior officials from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA, as well as ambassadors from France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the EU, and the UK.

  • The Air India–Airbus Training Center will serve as an advanced simulator hub for Air India’s Airbus fleet and represents the first operational component of the carrier’s integrated training ecosystem.

  • The inauguration coincided with the Airbus Global Board’s visit to India for its official meeting — a reflection of the growing strategic partnership between Airbus and the Tata Group-owned airline.

  • Air India Training Academy CEO Sunil Bhaskaran confirmed that the airline’s Boeing fleet simulator center is set to open in the coming weeks, completing the dual-platform simulator infrastructure for both aircraft types.

  • Mr Bhaskaran additionally shared the 4 pillars of the Air India Training Academy
    • “The ATOs (Approved Training Organizations) for advanced simulator training for pilots of our Airbus and Boeing fleet (the above facility is part of it)
    • The Air India Training Academy for classroom and mock-up training (for safety and customer service trainings) which is already training ~2000 Air Indians every day at the Gurugram campus
    • The Air India Flying Training Academy (ab-initio Flying Training Organization) – which should be up and running by Q4 FY26 at Amravati, Maharashtra and
    • The ab-initio AME school (Basic Maintenance Training Organization) which will start in FY27 in Bengaluru, Karnataka“

Source: Air India Training Academy (Sunil Bhaskaran)

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Air India Training Academy CEO Visits US Flight School Base Acron Aviation Academy for Strategic Cadet Training Alignment

Florida, USA – Acron Aviation Academy welcomed Air India Training Academy’s CEO Sunil Bhaskaran for a site visit and strategic planning session. Acron Aviation Academy is a an abinitio cadet program flight training partner of Air India as well as Acron Aviation also being a supplier of full flight simulators to Air India.

Source: Heather Rice (Acron Aviation Academy)

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Record Growth in Women Pilots Celebrated at Turkish Airlines Flight Academy

Türkiye – Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA), the ab initio pilot training arm of Turkish Airlines, has highlighted that Turkish Airlines has achieving a significant increase in the number of female pilots over the past 20 years. The announcement was made during the dual graduation ceremony of the 130th and 131st squadrons at Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA).

  • Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş emphasized that female pilots now make up 9% of all TAFA graduates, compared to less than 5% in many airlines worldwide

  • Among 560 current cadets, 73 are women, indicating continued momentum in narrowing the gender gap in aviation

  • The minister highlighted aviation pioneers like Bedriye Tahir Gökmen, Türkiye’s first female pilot, as inspirations for today’s graduates

  • Turkish Airlines Chairman Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat reiterated the importance of TAFA’s female graduates in achieving the airline’s growth ambitions

  • TAFA CEO Fatih Ünalan confirmed that the share of women in TAFA’s student body has reached 13%, and expressed a vision for further increases

Source: Turkish Airlines Flight Academy

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Turkish Airlines Flight Academy Celebrates 130th and 131st Cohorts – Graduates 51 New Pilots

Türkiye – Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA), the ab initio pilot training arm of Turkish Airlines, held a graduation ceremony marking its 130th and 131st fleet cohorts, celebrating the advancement of 51 newly qualified pilots. On this symbolic day, dignitaries including the Minister of Family and Social Services Ms. Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Aydın Governor Mr. Yakup Canbolat, and Turkish Airlines Chairman Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat joined the event to honour the occasion.

  • The academy extended heartfelt thanks to the Mayor of Aydın Metropolitan Municipality, TAFA’s Board Chair and members, its General Manager, protocol members, and all guests

  • At the ceremony, the Minister observed that “thanks to our trained pilots, the future of our country is in safe hands in the skies,” also highlighting Turkish Airlines’ leading role in promoting female pilots

  • Chairman Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat emphasised that over two decades, TAFA has brought nearly 2,000 new pilots into aviation, reinforcing both the Turkish Airlines brand and the national civil aviation sector

  • TAFA CEO Fatih Unalan congratulated the graduates and highlighted TAFA’s continued focus on safety, airline aligned flight training and training infrastructure expansion

Source: Turkish Airlines Flight Academy
Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines Flight Academy

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