CAE is to provide pilot training in India under separate memoranda of understanding with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the government's Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) flight training academy.
The MoU with AAI covers development of a jointly owned National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) at Gondia, in the centre of the country.
Requiring an investment of roughly $25 million, the NFTI is expected to train about 200 pilots a year when fully operational, says CAE.
The second MoU calls for the Canadian company to manage IGRUA's existing flight school activities and transform the government's national flying school - at Fursatganj airport in Rae Bareli - into a "centre of excellence" for aviation training. IGRUA licenses 200 pilots annually.
CAE says the output of the two schools will grow to more than 600 pilots with introduction of the multi-crew pilot licence (MPL) to help meet expected demand for 5,000 new pilots over the next five years.
Thales, meanwhile, is to supply two Level D full-flight simulators for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, plus training devices and options for two more simulators, to India's Jupiter Aviation, which is establishing an independent training centre in Bangalore to complement a planned network of ab initio flight schools.
Earlier this year Thales announced a deal with Rudradev Aviation for four A320, A330, 737NG and 777-300ER simulators for a new Indian independent training centre to be established in Chennai.
Meanwhile, Thales is to supply three A320, A330 and 777 simulators, plus other devices, to Qatar Airways for a new training centre to be established in Doha. The company is also to supply an A320 simulator to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, to be based at the CASC/Airbus centre in being and used to train inspectors.
Related storiesSource: FlightGlobal.com
