Market Intelligence: Indian Subcontinent

India’s Flag Carrier Air India Announces Plan to Set Up 30+ Aircraft Flight Training Organisation

Amravati, India – Tata Group-owned Indian flag carrier Air India announced plans to establish a flight training organisation at Belora Airport in Amravati, Maharashtra. This initiative aims to train 180 commercial pilots annually and will be the largest such flight training organisations in South Asia, planning to become operational from the first quarter of the next financial year.

  • The DGCA-licensed Flight Training Organisation (FTO) will be the first of its kind by an Indian airline
  • The facility will feature 31 single-engine aircraft and three twin-engine aircraft for training purposes
  • Air India has secured a 30-year tender from the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) to establish and operate the FTO
  • The training institute will cover 10 acres and include digitally-enabled classrooms, modern hostels, a digitised operation centre, and a maintenance unit

Statements

  • “The FTO at Amravati will be a significant step towards making Indian aviation more self-reliant and offering more opportunities to the youth in India to fulfil their ambitions of flying as pilots. The young pilots coming out of this FTO will fuel Air India’s ambition of becoming a world-class airline, as it moves ahead in its transformation journey,” said Campbell Wilson, Managing Director and CEO of Air India.
  • “The FTO will be operational by Q1 FY26 and offer aspiring pilots an opportunity to undergo training with world-class curricula at par with best-in-class global schools,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, Director, Aviation Academy, Air India.
  • “We are thrilled to announce the establishment of South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organisation at Amravati, Maharashtra. This state-of-the-art facility will graduate 180 commercial pilots annually, reinforcing our commitment to being a world-class airline with an Indian heart. Join us as we take Indian aviation to new heights!” said an Air India representative.
  • “The collaborative initiative between MADC and Air India will not only boost the economy of Maharashtra by focusing on over 3,000 new employment opportunities within the aviation sector, but also create employment in multifarious allied activities in skilling, technical and small entrepreneurial ventures culminating in an impressive contribution of over Rs 1,000 crore to the state’s GDP over the next decade,” said Swati Pandey, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of MADC.

Source: Air India

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Global Pilot Training Group, Skyborne, Partners with Symbiotics to Prepare IndiGo Cadets for the Future

Skyborne, a global pilot training group which operates flight training bases in the United Kingdom and the United States, is announcing its partnership with assessment and selection solution provider Symbiotics, a strategic move that will enhance pilot aptitude testing for prospective applicants to the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program.

The collaboration aims to provide a comprehensive pre-screening process using Symbiotics’ full ADAPT suite of pilot aptitude tests to reduce assessment day costs for candidates and identify talented individuals with the inherent skills to succeed as a commercial airline pilot.

Rina Basu, regional director, Asia-Pacific, Skyborne, says: “Following our recent contract extension, we’re excited to start the next five years training IndiGo pilots with Symbiotics at the heart of our application process. By integrating the ADAPT suite into our assessments, we join a host of leading flight schools ensuring IndiGo receives the most technically proficient and mentally prepared candidates. This new collaboration will also help our cadets understand their capabilities and areas they must work on as they begin their flight training.”

Symbiotics offers a robust suite of online tests designed to measure a candidate’s personality, values, behaviour and attitudes. The assessments determine the individual’s suitability to become a pilot, operating in a high stress and high-consequence environment.

Hannah Davies, director, Symbiotics, says: “We are delighted to partner with Skyborne to support recruitment for their IndiGo training program. Their involvement in the program is testament to the quality of their pilot training and we’re confident our cutting-edge technology will support Skyborne in the selection and development of its future pilots. We look forward to a long and successful partnership as we ready the next generation of pilots for IndiGo.”

About Skyborne 

Skyborne Airline Academy is a premier airline training academy based at Vero Beach, Florida, United States, and Gloucestershire Airport in the United Kingdom. Established by industry experts, Skyborne brings a fresh approach to airline pilot training.  

Founders Tom Misner (chairman) and Lee Woodward (CEO) have unsurpassed experience in commercial aviation, education and training. Their vision has created a training environment where the highest standard of teaching, safety and relevant airline-style training is maintained, and interactive learning is encouraged.  

Using a combination of tried and tested methods and the latest technology to assess competence, suitability, aptitude and resilience, Skyborne recruits the very best candidates to minimise additional training, reduce failure rates and provide airlines with better pilots and cabin crew.  

Skyborne is proud to hold close relationships with the world’s leading airlines, offering opportunities for trainees as part of British Airways’ Speedbird Pilot Academy, the Propel Flight Academy by Delta, the SkyWest Professional Pilot Pathway and the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program, among others.

About Symbiotics

Symbiotics have provided assessment & selection, training and consultancy services in over 130 locations spread through 80 countries across five continents. We support the aviation industry including airlines, Flight Schools, OEMs, Business Jet operators, universities and other aviation businesses with the completion of over 11,500 tests monthly across 500 variations of assessment.

Symbiotics fully believe that accurate assessment is the cornerstone of people success. We look to form long-lasting, credible relationships with our clients and other industry stakeholders for the benefit of the sector. We use our skills and experience as a specialist aviation assessment provider to work continuously to improve assessments to ensure fair, relevant, and quality testing of candidates. With over two decades of relevant industry experience and benchmark data to support assessment programmes, we’re confident that our comparison groups are providing the most appropriate results.

Source: Skyborne
Photo Credit: Skyborne

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Global Flight Training Group Skyborne Announces Indian Cadet Program Start Dates for Remainder of 2024

Skyborne, a global pilot training group which operates flight training bases in the United Kingdom and the United States, welcomed a new group of seven (7) cadet pilots under the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program at the Vero Beach, Florida in June 2024. The pilot training group also indicated another group will arrive in Florida to start their training in July with remaining batches for 2024 being August, October, November and December.

In March 2024 Skyborne signed a five-year contract extension with IndiGo, India’s largest passenger airline, to continue to train its next generation of A320 First Officers. The IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme with Skyborne, offers 100 selected cadets per year an international training programme and US FAA and Indian DGCA dual licences.

Source: Skyborne Airline Academy
Photo Credit: Skyborne Airline Academy

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Aviation Radio Simulation Provider, PlaneEnglish, Elevates Flight Schools’ Training Programs in 2024

PlaneEnglish, a well known organisation in aviation communication training, has shared that it is elevating training programs of its partner flight schools such as OC Flight Lessons, Avier Flight Academy, Turkish Airlines Flight Academy, and the USAF, among others, who have integrated the ARSim app into their curriculum, significantly improving their students’ radio communication skills.

“This innovative tool provides a stress-free environment for student pilots to practice, leading to accelerated proficiency in radio communications. By incorporating ARSim, these flight schools have streamlined their training process, ensuring their students are well-prepared for real-world flying.” shared PlaneEnglish.

PlaneEnglish is a provider of ARSim which enables new pilots to learn, practice, and master aviation phraseology and voice communication in an interactive audio and visual simulation environment.

Source: PlaneEnglish

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Aircraft Manufacturer Airbus Provides 2024 Guidance Update

  • A320 ramp-up trajectory adjusted to reflect specific supply chain challenges in a degraded operating environment; around 770 commercial aircraft deliveries now expected in 2024; target production rate of 75 A320 Family aircraft a month maintained and now expected to be reached in 2027
  • 2024 guidance updated

Amsterdam, 24 June 2024 – Airbus SE is providing a market update to report on new developments related to its space activities and commercial aircraft business, the impact of which is leading the Company to update its 2024 guidance.

In the first half of 2024, the Space Systems management team conducted an extensive technical review of all programmes, identifying further commercial and technical challenges. On that basis, the Company has decided to record charges of around € 0.9bn in the H1 2024 accounts. These are mainly related to updated assumptions on schedules, workload, sourcing, risks and costs over the lifetime of certain telecommunications, navigation and observation programmes.

In commercial aircraft, Airbus is facing persistent specific supply chain issues mainly in engines, aerostructures and cabin equipment. The Company now intends to deliver around 770 commercial aircraft in 2024 and continues to ramp up towards a rate of 75 A320 Family aircraft per month, which is now expected in 2027.

Accordingly, Airbus is updating its 2024 guidance.

As the basis for its updated 2024 guidance, the Company assumes no additional disruptions to the world economy, air traffic, the supply chain, the Company’s internal operations, and its ability to deliver products and services.

The Company’s 2024 guidance is before M&A.

On that basis, in 2024, the Company now targets to achieve:

  • Around 770 commercial aircraft deliveries;
  • EBIT Adjusted of around € 5.5 billion;
  • Free Cash Flow before Customer Financing of around € 3.5 billion.

The Company’s half-year results will be disclosed on 30 July 2024.

Source: Airbus

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