Market Intelligence: Indian Subcontinent

AeroGuard Flight Training Center, a renowned global leader in professional ab initio flight training, is proud to announce its selection by Air India to train the Indian flag carrier’s student pilots within its Fly High Cadet Pilot Program. This agreement demonstrates a significant milestone for AeroGuard and Air India as the two organizations share a commitment to high quality flight training and supporting the growing airline industry in India.

Within this new partnership, AeroGuard will train the next generation of pilots for Air India through a custom-developed course where students will obtain FAA licenses ready for DGCA conversion. Through AeroGuard’s high-quality curriculum, experienced instructors, expansive training facilities and capacity, AeroGuard will play a pivotal role in supporting the world class airline’s aggressive growth plans. Following Air India recruitment and screening, pilot cadets will complete Ground School in India before training at AeroGuard’s flagship Phoenix, Arizona campus that offers an ideal flight training environment with 350+ VFR days a year, extensive local airspace, and consistent student support.

To support this high demand for its training, AeroGuard has been expanding its capacity and plans to train up to 2,000 student pilots across its three U.S. campuses. As part of this growth, AeroGuard recently placed a 90 aircraft order with Piper Aircraft, significantly increasing their current fleet of 100 planes, alongside plans to add a further 25 planes throughout 2024. Additionally, AeroGuard maintains a current population of 200+ instructors, with an additional 600+ U.S. students training to be instructors, as part of their path to 1,500 Hours for airline employment in the U.S..

AeroGuard Flight Training Center’s CEO, Joel Davidson stated, “AeroGuard is honored to be selected by Air India as their preferred flight training provider for their Cadet Pilot Program. This partnership not only validates our commitment to delivering exceptional training for leading airlines worldwide, but also demonstrates our dedication to supporting the growth of the aviation industry in India. AeroGuard is excited to contribute to the success of Air India’s future pilots and establish long and successful careers for hundreds of student pilots.”

As a leading airline in the rapidly expanding travel industry in India, this is a significant leap towards ensuring a consistent skilled pool of next-generation cadets and bridging the First Officer gap. By partnering with institutions like AeroGuard, Air India seeks to maintain stringent quality standards for cadet training while proactively securing future talent pipelines.  Embracing its role as a pivotal player in India’s thriving travel industry, Air India has embarked on a transformative journey. As the airline gears up for expansion, the demand for skilled pilots is poised to surge. AeroGuard’s distinguished curriculum has been meticulously crafted to equip cadet pilots with the requisite skills, knowledge, and confidence to fulfill Air India’s ambitious plans.

About AeroGuard Flight Training Center

AeroGuard Flight Training Center is a global leader in ab initio flight training with three U.S. campuses. Each location offers 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 20 years with more than one million flight hours of training experience and graduating over 7,000 cadets.

About Air India

Founded by the legendary JRD Tata, Air India pioneered India’s aviation sector. Since its first flight on October 15, 1932, Air India has built an extensive domestic network with non-stop flights to cities around the world, across the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Far-East, South-East Asia, Australia, and the Gulf. After 69 years as a government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group in January 2022.

Air India is navigating through a major five-year transformation roadmap under the aegis of Vihaan.AI, with an ambition to become a world class airline with an Indian heart. The first phase of this transformation, the taxi phase was recently concluded, and focused on fixing the basics. These included bringing back to service many long grounded aircraft, addition of talent across flying and ground functions, rapid upgradation of technology and strengthening of customer care initiatives amongst others. A member of Star Alliance, the largest global airline consortium of leading international airlines, Air India offers seamless connectivity and facilities to passengers all over the world.

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