Air India to Open Pilot Training School in Amravati, Maharashtra

Air India announced the opening of a Flying Training Organisation (FTO) at Amravati’s Belora airport in Maharashtra by the first quarter of financial year 2026. The FTO, licensed by the DGCA, will train 180 commercial pilots annually with 31 single-engine and 3 twin-engine aircraft.

This initiative, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), aims to boost India’s aviation sector and create over 3,000 jobs, contributing significantly to Maharashtra’s economy.

Key Figures and Statements

Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO of Air India, stated, “The FTO at Amravati will be a significant step towards making Indian aviation more self-reliant and offering more opportunities to the youth in India to fulfill their ambitions of flying as pilots.”

Sunil Bhaskaran, Director of Aviation Academy at Air India, added, “The FTO will be operational by Q1 FY26 and offer aspiring pilots an opportunity to undergo training with world-class curricula at par with best-in-class global schools.”

Swati Pandey, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of MADC, mentioned, “This collaborative initiative will not only boost the economy of Maharashtra by focusing on over 3,000 new employment opportunities within the aviation sector but also create employment in multifarious allied activities.”

Facilities and Future Plans

At the FTO in Amravati, Air India will develop a state-of-the-art training institute over 10 acres, with digitally enabled classrooms, hostels, a digitized operations center, and its own maintenance facility. This new FTO will complement Air India’s commitment to power India’s aviation ecosystem in the coming years.