New Delhi, Aug 5 — The government on Wednesday awarded Letters of Intent (LoIs) for the establishment of 11 new Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) across seven Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports.
According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, 41 Flying Training Organisations are currently operating from 63 flying bases across the country. With the addition of these 11 new FTOs across seven AAI airports, India’s annual pilot training capacity is expected to increase by 750 cadets per year, providing a substantial boost to the domestic training ecosystem.
“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. Guided by the vision of Viksit Bharat and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we are simultaneously expanding aviation infrastructure and building a future-ready workforce to support the sector’s long-term growth,” said Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu.
India has already witnessed the establishment of six new FTOs over the last two years.
During this period, the number of training aircraft available with Indian FTOs has increased from 324 to 385, resulting in a 25 per cent rise in annual flying hours across the pilot training ecosystem.
“This is not just expansion in numbers; it is a clear improvement in training capacity and operational utilisation,” said the minister.
The number of Commercial Pilot Licences (CPLs) issued increased from 1,347 in 2024 to 1,652 in 2025, the highest number issued in the last decade, with 2026 expected to witness a further increase.
“Indian airlines currently have 1,640 aircraft on order, and nearly 500 aircraft are expected to be inducted over the next five years. Meeting this unprecedented growth requires a strong domestic pipeline of trained aviation professionals. Our vision is clear — ‘Train in India, Fly in India’,” said the Minister.
Naidu also noted the progress made in indigenous trainer aircraft development through HANSA-3 (NG) and described it as an important step towards strengthening India’s self-reliant aviation training ecosystem.