Approval clears way for operations
Amravati’s Belora Airport is set to take on a new role in India’s aviation training network after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued its Certificate of Approval for the Air India Flying Training Academy on Friday. The facility, being developed jointly by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company and Air India, is expected to begin operations as early as the first week of November.
The approval marks a key step for a project that has been positioned as a major aviation investment in the district. The academy’s infrastructure was reported to be about 95 per cent complete, while all 34 aircraft assigned for pilot training had been moved to Belora Airport from Nagpur. The project is expected to place Amravati on the country’s aviation-training map and create an additional pathway for candidates seeking commercial pilot licences.
“This is huge news for Amravati. The DGCA has finally issued the Certificate of Approval to the Air India Flying Training Academy at MADC’s Amravati Airport.”
The campus is spread over approximately 10 acres and has been planned as an integrated training centre rather than only an aircraft operating base. Facilities include digitally enabled classrooms, student accommodation, briefing rooms, a dining hall, aircraft hangars, maintenance infrastructure and a digital operations centre. Three fixed-base flight simulators are also planned, comprising two for single-engine training and one for multi-engine instruction.
Fleet and training structure
The academy’s training fleet consists of 31 Piper Archer single-engine aircraft and three Diamond DA42 NG twin-engine aircraft. The aircraft use Garmin G1000 NXi cockpit systems and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology, equipment intended to support contemporary navigation and flight-training practices. The planned student-to-instructor ratio is six to one, allowing the programme to maintain a structured training arrangement for each group of trainees.
| Training feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Expected annual intake | About 180 commercial pilots |
| CPL programme | Approximately 18 months |
| Required flying | 200 hours |
| Single-engine flying | 185 hours |
| Multi-engine flying | 15 hours |
The Commercial Pilot Licence course is expected to run for around 18 months. Each trainee will have to complete 200 hours of flying, including 185 hours on single-engine aircraft and 15 hours on twin-engine aircraft. The academy is expected to train approximately 180 commercial pilots every year, giving the facility a sizeable role in the country’s pilot-training capacity once operations stabilise.
Potential significance for Amravati
The academy’s arrival could broaden the economic activity associated with Belora Airport, linking aviation training with accommodation, transport, maintenance and other services. The project also brings a specialised professional-training facility to Amravati, although its wider impact will depend on the commencement of regular instruction and the pace at which the academy reaches its planned capacity. The campus includes dedicated aircraft maintenance facilities, adding an operational component beyond classroom-based learning.
Aviation experts have identified Amravati’s weather conditions as favourable for flight training, with suitable flying conditions potentially available for at least 300 days a year. The academy is expected to become one of the largest pilot-training facilities in South Asia. With regulatory approval now in place, attention will shift to the opening schedule, the first trainee intake and the completion of the remaining work before full-scale training begins at Belora.
- DGCA approval has been issued for the Air India Flying Training Academy.
- The facility is expected to start operations in the first week of November.
- Its planned programme includes 200 flying hours over approximately 18 months.
