Air India plans to establish the biggest flight school in South Asia in Amravati

Air India plans to establish the biggest Flying Training Organisation (FTO) in South Asia at Amravati in the Vidarbha region. This Foreign Training Organization will enhance India's current pilot training capacity.

The Maharashtra Airport Development Company, owned by the state, recently extended the runway at Amravati Airport. Swati Pandey, the managing director, announced that the infrastructure at Belora airport has been enhanced with the addition of instrument-landing and night-landing systems.

The flying academy is scheduled to start operating by the middle of 2026, with an annual output of 180 commercial pilots.

The Flight Training Organization, the initial one established by an Indian airline, will consist of 31 single-engine and 3 twin-engine aircraft dedicated to training purposes.

The MADC granted Air India a contract to set up and manage a DGCA-certified FTO for 30 years. The partnership of MADC and Air India will result in the creation of more than 3,000 job openings in the aviation industry, as well as in related businesses, providing economic benefits of over Rs. 1 billion will be added to the state's GDP in the next ten years.

The flying school will cover 10 acres, with advanced classrooms, top-notch dormitories, a digitalized operations center, and a maintenance facility to improve operational effectiveness.

In the meantime, the MADC has increased in size from 1370 to 1850 meters to accommodate ATR and Q400 planes. The initiative, initiated by former President Pratibha Patil, whose son Rajendra Shekhawat was a state MLA, has now been progressed by Devendra Fadnavis, whose mother comes from Amravati.