Airbus Forms Joint Venture With Air India To Launch Pilot Training Centre In Gurugram, Partners With GMR To Train Maintenance Crew

Delivering on its commitment to ‘Skill India,’ Airbus has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Tata-owned Air India to launch a world-class pilot training centre in Gurugram, Haryana.

The Tata Airbus Training Centre will offer A320 and A350 flight training to some 5,000 new pilots over 10 years. The sprawling 3,300 sq m centre will be equipped with 10 Full Flight Simulators (FFS), flight training classrooms and briefing and debriefing rooms as part of the complete Airbus Flight Training Device setup.

The training centre is due to be operational starting early 2025 with the initial installation of four A320 FFS. The Tata Airbus Training Centre will offer courses approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Airbus has also partnered with GMR Aero Technic to offer aircraft maintenance engineering training courses at the latter’s facility in Hyderabad.

Airbus will provide training material such as trainee handbooks, examination database, online access to Airbus customised training modules, and Airbus Competence Training (ACT) for the Academy media package. Airbus will also train GMR instructors and provide a continual assessment of the training centre.

"As the fastest expanding aviation market in the world, India will need 41,000 pilots and 47,000 technicians in the next 20 years to support this growth. The pilot training centre with Air India and the maintenance training partnership with GMR are a testament to Airbus’ commitment to developing human capital," said Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia.

Millard further said, "Airbus is directly investing and operating training capabilities to ensure that the growth of the India aviation industry is accompanied by adequate skilled manpower that is readily available.”

The latest announcements are part of Airbus’ ambition to develop a holistic ecosystem in India, where the company is expanding its industrial footprint with aircraft assembly, component manufacturing, engineering design and development, MRO support, pilot and maintenance training as well as academic collaboration to foster human capital.

Airbus is also collaborating with the Vadodara-based Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to groom talent for the Indian aerospace sector.

Meanwhile, demonstrating its ‘Make in India’ commitment, Airbus has signed contracts with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Mahindra Aerospace Structures Private Limited (MASPL) to procure commercial aircraft components.

Under the contract, TASL and Mahindra Aerostructures will manufacture metallic detail parts, components, and assemblies for Airbus' A320neo, A330neo and A350 programmes.

The two companies are already among more than 100 India-based suppliers that provide components and engineering and digital services for various Airbus programmes.

“Airbus has made ‘Make in India’ front and centre of its strategy in the country. Our ambition is not only to support the growth of the Indian commercial fleet but also to grow the complete aerospace ecosystem here – and that includes developing and strengthening manufacturing and engineering capabilities from our Indian partners,” said Maillard and added “Tata Advanced Systems and Mahindra Aerostructures already contribute to our aircraft programmes, and the latest contracts increase our cooperation with them.”

For Airbus, India is a strategic resource hub where the company is expanding its industrial footprint with aircraft assembly, component manufacturing, engineering design and development, MRO support, pilot and maintenance training as well as academic collaboration to foster human capital.