National Inst of Aviation Training may be piloted by pvt player

The Government of India is close to handing over the reins of National Institute of Aviation Training and Management (NIATM) to a private sector player to operate this institute. NIATM, being built on the lines of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for the aviation industry, is taking shape at Gondia in Nagpur district of Maharashtra and is expected to be in place by September 2009.

According to industry sources, the Centre is close to finalising the private sector player who will run and operate the institute, which will focus on providing management and technical degree. The management courses on offer will be focussed on airline and airport management, while the technical streams will be on maintenance, repair & overhaul in addition to various disciplines.

Industry information indicate that the Centre will be investing close to Rs 100 crore to get the institute going and in turn will charge the private sector operator to pay a royalty and is expected to cover the initial investment over a period of 5-6 years. Sources indicate that the Centre is expected to announce the winner of this bid within the next month. Sources in the aviation industry further add that there will be an intake of maximum of 150 students in a year.

NIATM will be modeled on the lines of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), which focuses on improving the flying training standards in the Civil Aviation Industry and to impart Line Oriented Flying Training of International Standards, as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) norms.

The district of Nagpur is fast emerging as the one of the key hubs for maintenance of aircraft. A MRO facility to undertake major checks of B-777 aircraft of NACIL and B-737 aircraft of Air India Express is being set up as a joint venture between NACIL and Boeing at Nagpur, which will be functional by 2011.