Air India and Airbus have announced the inauguration of an advanced pilot training center at the Air India Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram, Haryana.
The new facility will train more than 5,000 pilots over the next decade, supporting the growth of India’s commercial aviation sector.
The 50:50 joint venture facility was inaugurated by Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Minister of Civil Aviation, in the presence of Christian Scherer, CEO, Commercial Aircraft, Airbus, Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India and other senior leaders from Tata Group, Air India and Airbus.
Spread across 12,000 sq metre, the new facility will be equipped with 10 Full Flight Simulators (FFSs), with advanced classrooms and briefing rooms. Initially equipped with two A320 FFS units, the facility will progressively add six more A320 simulators and two for the A350 aircraft family. Training programs are approved by both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Jürgen Westermeier, President & Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said ,“We are very proud to partner with Air India and the Tata Group on this critical infrastructureproject. The inauguration of the training center is a testament to our shared vision for the future of Indian aviation. This is more than a joint venture; it is a strategic investment in the future of the Indian aerospace industry itself. India is a strategic powerhouse for Airbus, and this state-of-the-art facility is a testament to our belief in its immense potential.”
Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said: “Air India is in an expansion mode with 570 new aircraft on order and the new pilot training centre at our Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram, a part of which is being executed with Airbus, will help train and upskill pilots who will fuel Air India’s ambition of becoming a world-class airline. This facility is a major step forward in our transformation journey and in making Air India and the Indian aviation industry more self-reliant. With our partners Airbus, we are playing our part in building the aviation infrastructure that India needs as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.”
The Gurugram academy, established in 2024, is South Asia’s largest aviation training facility. Currently training more than 2,000 aviation professionals daily, it is expected to train over 50,000 personnel across pilots, cabin crew, ground handling, engineering, and security in the coming years.
Alongside this initiative, Air India is also setting up South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organisation (FTO) in Amravati, Maharashtra, with the capacity to graduate 180 commercial pilots annually. A Basic Maintenance Training Organization (BMTO) is also under development near the airline’s upcoming MRO facility in Bengaluru, scheduled to be operational in FY27.
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