Mumbai: In response to a likely pilot shortage in India's aviation industry, Air India is launching a pilot training academy in Maharashtra's Amravati, which will have the capacity to train 180 pilots each year, reported The Economic Times.

The full-time academy is open to aspiring pilots with no previous flying experience, providing them with a direct route to Air India's cockpit after completing subsequent training phases.

This is a significant shift in how Indian airlines approach pilot training.

Until now, major carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet have established branded training programmes in partnership with independent flight schools both in India and abroad. For example, IndiGo collaborates with seven flight schools.

Air India has chosen to procure around 30 single-engine and four multi-engine aircraft from the American company Piper and the European manufacturer Diamond.

“Air India wants to be in control of the supply next generation of pilots which. The school will be a critical part of the national carrier’s long-term talent pipeline. Second is the airline wants to ensure quality of training. The quality of training in flying schools in India leaves a lot of gap forcing students to go abroad,” said a person aware of the development told ET.

The government is promoting pilot training within India, as currently, over 40 percent of students go abroad for training, which costs between Rs 1.5-2 crore.

Initially, the academy will focus on fulfilling Air India’s internal needs, but the Tata group plans to eventually offer training to external candidates as well, according to the business daily.

Moreover, Air India has partnered with Airbus and US-based L3 Harris to establish a training center in Gurugram, which will feature six simulators for type-rated and recurrent training.

Aviation training regulations require aspiring pilots to complete ab initio (beginner) training for a license, type-rated training for specific aircraft like the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, and annual recurrent training to maintain their license endorsements.

Sunil Bhaskaran, former CEO of AirAsia India and a veteran of the Tata group, is leading the development of Air India’s training infrastructure, the newspaper reported.