GMR Group wants to set up aerospace training centre

GMR Group is mulling to set up an aerospace training centre at the city airport to cater to the different requirements of the industry, which is expected to see significant demand for aircraft in coming years.
The Hyderabad-based infrastructure major is seeking the help of French multinational Safran, which has interests in aerospace, defence and security, to execute the plan, Group Chairman GM Rao said here today.
"For this (the training facility), our team with the help of French multinational Safran, visited a world-class aerospace training centre located in Morocco.
"We have the same vision for Hyderabad and this State (Telangana). In fact, we have developed relationship with the Safran team in Morocco, and they are ready to guide us in creating the aerospace training institute," he said.

Rao was addressing the 65th Annual General Meeting of the Aeronautical Society of India, where a conference on "Strategies for Indigenous Development of Civil and Fighter Aircraft" was also organised.
He requested the Telangana Government to support the Group in setting up the institute and make Hyderabad a sought after destination of aerospace firms from across the globe.

With rising passenger traffic and increasing military and defence expenditures, the demand for aircraft is expected to increase significantly in the next few years, said Rao, whose Group which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad.
"The industry forecasts a demand of approximately USD 100 billion for commercial aircraft in the next two decades. The defence offset policy has been under implementation and a formal civil offset policy is also expected to follow suit.

"The total spending in the coming time is expected to be between USD 25 billion for commercial aircraft and USD 100 billion as defence expenditure," the GMR Group Chairman said.
Offset policy makes it mandatory for foreign companies selling goods to the Government for sourcing part of their supplies from Indian producers.
Addressing the conference, Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao said the Government will establish two more aerospace parks in Hyderabad, each of them spread across 1,000 acres.