Lok Sabha Question No. 860 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-21
Subject: Establishment of Flying Schools
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: P. Ravindhranath

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 860

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA

(To be answered on the July 2022) 21st

## ESTABLISHMENT OF FLYING SCHOOLS

860.

SHRI P RAVINDHRANATH

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- () whether the Government proposes to establish more flying schools across the country to train greater number of commercial pilots and {f the details thereof; SOs
- if 5o, the details thereof and the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?
- (b) whether the Government has analyzed the necessity of commercial pilots in the coming years Jue to the increased number of air passenger traffic; and

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(GEN. (DR) V. K SINGH (RETD))

- (a) to (c) Yes sir: Currently; there are around 9,000 pilots employed with various airline operators in India. Given the increase in the number of air passenger traffic, it is felt that India may require around 1000 pilots per annum over the next five years The number of Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPL) issued in India to cadets in the last three years is as follows:

Year

Total

2019

744

2020

578

2021

862

The Government has taken several steps to establish more flying schools across the country to train greater number of commercial pilots These include the following:

- () In 2020, Airports Authority of India (AAD) came up with a liberalised FTO AAD)' was abolished and land rentals were significantly rationalised;
- (ii) In 2021, after a competitive bidding process; AAI awarded nine FTO slots at five airports at Belagavi (Karnataka) Jalgaon (Maharashtra); Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) and Lilabari (Assam)  As o 30th June 2022, four of these FTOs are operational: one each at Jalgaon and Lilabari; and two at Kalaburagi:
- (iii) In June 2022, after a competitive bidding process,six more FTO slots were awarded by AAI at five airports namely: Bhavnagar (Gujarat) , Hubballi (Karnataka), Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh), Kishangarh (Rajasthan) and Salem (Tamil Nadu)
- (iv) DGCA has introduced Online-On Demand Examination (OLODE) for the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) and Flying Crew (FC) candidates with effect from November 2021. This facility allows candidates to choose the date and time from the available exam slots
- right to authorise flight operations at FTOs  This Was hitherto restricted to the Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) or Deputy CFIs only.
- (vi) India's largest flying academy Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (GRUA) at Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) has been permitted to carry out pilot training in Gondia (Maharashtra) and Kalaburagi (Karnataka) to enhance its severely affected during winter months due to low visbility. IGRUA has commenced operating O ali weekends and holidays It completed 19,019 flying hours during the year 2021 as compared to 15,137 hours in the pre-Covid year 2019,an increase of over 25%\_ gets
- (vii) The total number of flying hours at Indian FTOs increased from 1.20 lakh hours in the pre-Covid period (2019) to 1.62 lakh hours in 2021.