Market Intelligence: Indian Subcontinent

Global Flight Training Group, AeroGuard Flight Training Center, Welcomes First Class of Air India Cadets in 2024

Phoenix, United States headquartered global flight training group AeroGuard Flight Training Center, which operates a number of flight training bases in the United States, is excited to welcome its inaugural class of Cadets from Air India to its Phoenix, Arizona, USA campus. This first class of 19 students marks a significant partnership between AeroGuard and Air India, committed to providing high-quality, professional pilots for India’s flag carrier.

AeroGuard announced its selection by Air India to be a flight training provider for the airline earlier this year in February. Since this time, AeroGuard’s first class of Cadets have gone through a carefully structured screening process and have successfully completed the DGCA Ground School portion of their training in India. These Cadets are now at AeroGuard’s Arizona campus where they will complete their practical flight training, earning the certifications and ratings required for their careers with airline.

Joel Davidson, AeroGuard’s CEO, stated “Welcoming AeroGuard’s first class of Air India Cadets is an exciting moment we’ve been preparing for. We are excited to support Air India in its growth by preparing the next generation of their pilot workforce. We look forward to many more of the airline’s Cadets joining us soon.”

Air India is at the forefront of the rapidly growing air travel industry with plans to continue expanding their fleet and workforce. Air India has invested in its future by partnering with AeroGuard to professionally train and prepare its future pilots through the Cadet Pilot Program. Additional classes of Cadets are already underway in India and will join the first class at AeroGuard’s Phoenix campus once they complete Ground School.

With its commitment to safety, student success, and its high-quality training curriculum, AeroGuard is providing initial pilot training for additional leading airlines including China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Air New Zealand. AeroGuard has expanded its training capacity across all three U.S. campuses with 250+ experienced flight instructors and over 110 aircraft in its rapidly expanding fleet.

AeroGuard plans to further expand its training capacity up to 2,000 students across all three campuses. The flight school has added over 20 aircraft to its fleet in 2024 alone, in addition to its ongoing 90-aircraft order from Piper Aircraft which began deliveries in July and will take the fleet to over 200 total aircraft.

About AeroGuard Flight Training Center
AeroGuard Flight Training Center is a global leader in ab initio flight training with three U.S. campuses that offer accelerated commercial pilot training programs to candidates from all over the world. With a commitment to safety and student success, AeroGuard’s high quality training has established airline-ready cadets for over 25 years with more than one million flight hours of training experience and graduating over 7,000 cadets.

Source: AeroGuard Flight Training Center
Photo Credit: AeroGuard Flight Training Center

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Pilot Training Industry Supplier Feature – Private-Radar

In this week’s AFM Pilot Training Leadership Interview Series AFM’s Customer Success & Business Development Manager Agata Marszalek speaks with Prisque Lemble, Founder and CEO of Private-Radar – an innovative and easy-to-use cloud-based software designed to streamline the daily operations of pilot training centers

The conversation covers:

  • Background and Motivation: Prisque Lemblé founded Private Radar in 2014 after a near-collision incident while flying, which inspired him to create a system to improve aviation safety. His company now offers flight school management software with an integrated aircraft tracking system.
  • Growth and Partnerships: Private Radar has rapidly expanded, with over 100 partners in 30 countries. Notable partnerships include Lufthansa Aviation Training and American Flight Schools, with recent expansions into new countries including Romania and Australia.
  • Pilot Shortage and Regulatory Challenges: Lemblé discussed the global shortage of pilots and regulatory challenges like competency-based training assessments (CBTA) from EASA. Private Radar helps flight schools meet these evolving standards.
  • Innovative Solutions: The company focuses on improving efficiency and reducing operational costs. Their aircraft tracking system optimizes aircraft utilization and maintenance.
  • Customization and Client Focus: A key differentiator for Private Radar is its ability to customize software based on client feedback and specific regional requirements, enhancing its adaptability for flight schools worldwide.

For more information:

You can find all of the AFM.aero Pilot Training Industry Interview Episodes here.

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Airbus Releases 2024-2043 Global Services Forecast – Including Pilot Demand Forecast

Global aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, released the latest edition of its Global Services Forecast (GMF) for the 2024-2043 period. The forecasts highlights that the services market is set to almost double in size over the next 20 years to USD 290bn. Driven by: 42,430 new aircraft deliveries.

Key relevant highlights for the pilot training ecosystem:

  • 42,430 new aircraft deliveries; 18,460 to replace and 23,970 to grow the current fleet
  • 620,000 new pilots required
    • 124,000 in North America
    • 124,000 in China
    • 119,000 in Europe and CIS
    • 90,000 in Asia Pacific
    • 59,000 in the Middle East
    • 54,000 in South Asia
    • 36,000 in Latin America and the Caribbean
    • 14,000 in Africa
  • 8.3 million hours of training required in simulators

Source: Airbus

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Avion Appointed as Exclusive Sales & Service Partner for Simnest Aviation in the APAC Region

Two well-known European players in the flight simulation training device market, Hungarian fixed-base simulator manufacturer Simnest Aviation and Dutch Full Flight Simulator manufacturer and flight training centre operator Avion, entered into an agreement at APATS 2024 in Singapore last week. Under this agreement, Avion – Gen24 will be the exclusive sales and service partner for Simnest Aviation in the APAC region.

Following twenty successfully installed and certified type-representative simulators in Europe, Simnest Aviation decided in 2023 to expand to APAC countries, which it formalized with its presence as an exhibitor at last year’s APATS in Singapore. At this year’s event, Simnest Aviation took another significant step towards achieving its Asian goals. The Hungarian simulator manufacturer has appointed Avion, which will soon open its new training center in Mumbai, as its exclusive sales and service partner for the Asia Pacific region, further strengthening its presence there.

“We have a long-standing business and friendly relationship with Avion. Their leaders and staff are renowned professionals and excellent people we have known over the years. Although we produce simulators at different levels, our mindset perfectly matches in terms of FSTDs. We all believe in training the pilots of the future on simulators of the highest possible capability and quality, far beyond the official standards. This extraordinary business relationship has called us to place our trust in Avion and to entrust them with our representation in APAC countries with a calm heart and high hopes.” – expressed his sentiments Balázs Herendi, CEO of Simnest Aviation.

The collaboration does not end with sales representation. After completing the necessary training, Avion’s staff will install Simnest’s simulators and provide support for simulators installed in the region. Additionally, Avion has also ordered a Simnest A320 FNPT II APS MCC simulator for its new flight training center in Mumbai. This marks another milestone for Simnest Aviation in the Asian market, as this will be their first simulator in the APAC region. Avion’s new high-fidelity fixed-base FSTD will be used both as a demonstration device to support sales activities and to conduct training courses that don’t need the highest qualified Level D Avion Full Flight Simulators.

Manoj Pandey, Group CEO of Avion and Gen24, sees a lot of potential for Simnest in the Asia Pacific region: “Partnering with Simnest aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing comprehensive, high-quality training solutions across the Asia Pacific region. By combining Simnest’s innovative fixed-base simulators with Avion’s Full Flight Simulators, we can deliver a versatile and complete package that caters to the diverse needs of airlines and training organizations. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration presents and look forward to strengthening our presence in this booming market.”

The two sides announced their cooperation with a formal celebration at Simnest’s booth at the 20th Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium in Singapore. The Simnest A320 FNPT II APS MCC simulator will be delivered and installed by Simnest at the Avion Flight Training Center in Mumbai in February 2025.

Source: Avion
Photo Credit: Avion

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Global Flight Training Provider Skyborne Welcomes 19 New Cadets to IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program

Skyborne Airline Academy and IndiGo Airlines are welcoming 19 new cadets to the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program during their Letter of Intent (LoI) ceremony.

The cadets will begin their flight training at Skyborne’s Vero Beach base in the United States, before completing their flight license conversion in India and type rating on the Airbus A320.

Rina Basu, Skyborne Regional Director, APAC, says: “Following a rigorous selection process, I am excited for our new cadets to start their Skyborne training knowing they will go on to fly with India’s leading airline. We are proud to have been training cadets for IndiGo since 2019, and I am looking forward to supporting our newest cohort.”

Anshika Tripathi, cadet in the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program with Skyborne, says: “I have always been inspired by stories about brave and professional pilots from the world of commercial aviation. With Skyborne and IndiGo, I will be able to follow the same path.”

Datla Pavana Dharani Kumar Sathwik Varma, cadet in the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program with Skyborne, says: “Skyborne’s reputation as a premier flight training academy makes this opportunity remarkable, and the chance to train at its Florida location offers me an incredible environment to learn and grow. I relish the opportunity to fly with IndiGo as an A320 pilot.”

The 18-month IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program with Skyborne begins at Skyborne’s United States facility in Vero Beach, Florida, with cadets spending 12 months earning their US FAA 141 Commercial Pilots License with Instrument Rating, plus the required multi-engine time, before completing a DCGA Flight Licence Conversion in India. The application process has recently been revamped to include the latest suite of ADAPT pilot aptitude tests from Symbiotics.

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 IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program, the Propel Flight Academy by Delta and the SkyWest Professional Pilot Pathway.

Source: Skyborne
Photo Credit: Skyborne

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