First Flying Training Organisation (FTO) from Redbird Aviation Pvt. Ltd., was virtually inaugurated in Belagavi airport on Wednesday (28 March) by Union Minister General V.K. Singh.
This is the sixth flying base from Redbird Aviation in Belagavi, Karnataka. The flying training institute is the largest flying school in India and the Asia-Pacific region.
Redbird, which is renowned for offering top-notch instruction on how to become a professional airline pilot, will provide new academy participants with both theoretical and practical training.
Member of Parliament Mangala Angadi, secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Rajeev Bansal, airport officials, Redbird Aviation Flying Pvt. Ltd. president Karan Mann and others were present, according to a release.
- Advertisement -
Redbird is one of the two academies functioning in Belagavi. The Union government approved five flying training organisations in the country in 2021. They are coming up in Kalaburagi, Jalgaon, Khajuraho and Lilabari, apart from Belagavi.
- Advertisement -
Airports Authority of India (AAI) has released around 5,000 sq m of land on lease for 25 years to these academies, on Design, Build, Operate, Maintenance and Transfer (DBOMT) basis.
“The ministry has begun utilising and ensuring the proper ecosystem for the enhancement of the civil aviation test base. One of the main initiatives has been to train more flight examiners in India so that people do not have to travel abroad,” Singh was quoted as saying in the release.
“At the ministry, we are ensuring that more flight training organisations (academies) are established,” he added.
- Advertisement -
According to Redbird, it is looking to ramp up the aircraft fleet to 60 planes by the end of this year.
“The latest facility is expecting to train as many as 150-200 pilots in a year,” a Redbird spokesperson.
More than 150 pilots have already been trained and another 350 are undergoing training at its various other facilities in the country.
“Our growth became the largest in Asia Pacific with the operation of four Redbird FTOS within a calendar year. The vast majority of pilots who are trained in India currently still go through Redbird’s training programme,” Manjit Rajain, Chairman and Director of Redbird Flight Training Academy, said.
