India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has approved the Air India Flying Training Academy at Belora Airport in Amravati, Maharashtra, Air India said on Friday 30 October2. The Free Press Journal and Swarajya report that the DGCA issued a Certificate of Approval, with training likely to start within about a month and a first batch of about 180 cadets13. Air India describes it as the first flying academy set up by an Indian airline in the country2.

What the course looks like

Cadets follow an 18-month Commercial Pilot Licence course with 200 flying hours, of which 185 are single-engine and 15 multi-engine1. According to the Free Press Journal, ground school comes first at Air India's academy in Gurugram. Core flight training follows in Amravati, after which graduates return to Gurugram for a type rating on commercial jets before line flying1.

The school will have three flight simulation training devices, two for single-engine and one for multi-engine work. Air India says it will keep a ratio of six trainees per flight instructor. The same report says Amravati's climate allows more than 300 flying days a year, which matters for a course on a fixed 18-month schedule1.

Fleet and campus

All 34 training aircraft have reached Belora: 31 single-engine Piper Archers and three twin-engine Diamond DA42s, each with a Garmin G1000 NXi glass cockpit13. Piper said in February 2025 that Air India had ordered 31 Archer DX aircraft, with an option on 62 more for 2026 and 20275. Sunil Bhaskaran, Director of Air India's Aviation Academy, said at the time: "We are excited to partner with Piper Aircraft as we set up India's first airline-owned and operated cadet pilot school."5

The campus covers 10 acres, with digitally enabled classrooms, student accommodation, a digital operations centre and a dedicated maintenance facility2. Indian press reports describe the project as about 95% complete and say a formal start date will follow once remaining administrative and operational requirements are met13.

Later than planned

Air India announced the school in July 2024 as part of an initiative by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company. It would operate the school for 30 years, targeting 180 commercial pilot graduates a year and opening in the first quarter of financial year 2026, which ran from April to June 20254. The approval therefore arrives more than a year after that target. Reports describe the school as set to become the largest flying training organisation in South Asia13.

The demand behind it is large. In March 2025, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said India would need about 30,000 pilots over 15 to 20 years, against 6,000 to 7,000 working today, with airlines holding more than 1,700 aircraft on order6.

Entry requirements and cost

Requirements for the 2026 intake, as reported by EduAdvice, give a clear picture of the bar. Applicants needed Indian citizenship or Overseas Citizenship of India, an age of 18 to 30, fluent written and spoken English, a height of at least 158 cm and 10+2 education with at least 60% in each of English, Mathematics and Physics. A DGCA Class 1 medical had to be cleared before training could begin7.

Selection ran in three stages: an eligibility screening, an online assessment of cognitive and behavioural skills, then a personal interview. Applications for that round closed on 20 April 2026. EduAdvice reported that fee details are given once a candidate is enrolled7.

Read how to become a pilot, see the Air India pilot page or practise for airline selection on PilotinQ.