Airbus forms JV with Air India to launch pilot training centre in Gurugram

Airbus has partnered with Tata group-owned Air India for setting up a pilots training facility in Gurugram, Haryana, under a 50:50 joint venture, the company said on Thursday.

Besides, the European aviation major also announced a collaboration with GMR Aero Technic to offer aircraft maintenance engineering training courses at the latter's facility in Hyderabad.

Spread over 3,300 sq mt, the Tata Airbus training centre will be equipped with 10 full flight simulators (FFS), flight training classrooms and briefing and debriefing rooms as part of the complete Airbus Flight Training Device setup, Airbus said.

The facility, which is expected to be operational from early 2025 with the initial installation of four A320 FFS, will offer A320 and A350 flight training to some 5,000 new pilots over 10 years, it said.

It will offer courses approved by India's DGCA and European aviation safety regulator, EASA, Airbus said.

Under its collaboration with GMR Aero Technic, Airbus said it will provide training material such as trainee handbooks, examination database, online access to Airbus customised training modules, among others.

Besides, it will also train GMR instructors and provide continual assessment of the training centre.

As the fastest expanding aviation market in the world, India will need 41,000 pilots and 47,000 technicians in the next 20 years to support this growth. The pilot training centre with Air India and the maintenance training partnership with GMR are a testament to Airbus' commitment to developing human capital, said Rmi Maillard, President and Managing Director for Airbus India and South Asia.

Airbus is directly investing and operating training capabilities to ensure that the growth of the India aviation industry is accompanied by adequate skilled manpower that is readily available, he added.