An aviation and aerospace academy which will train 100 pilots each year and 30 licensed aircraft maintenance engineers (LAME) per batch will open in India in March.
Link Aero Technologies of Malaysia and Groupe Aviation of Bangalore have joined the Park Group of institutions to set up the academy in Coimbatore, for $10 million.
Park College of Engineering and Technology was offering graduate and postgraduate courses in aerospace engineering as well as specialist courses on manufacturing and allied activities related to aeronautics for employees of various companies.
But it is estimated that 5,000 trained pilots and 500 LAMEs will be needed within the next five years to service the existing fleet of aircraft. Park Group head P V Ravi says: “With the boom in Indian civil aviation, there has been a tremendous growth in terms of new airlines launching operations and acquisition of new aircraft by existing players.
“At the same time, there has been a shortage of manpower and there is an urgent need to fill this gap.”
The group commissioned Masters Aerospace of Bangalore – specialist in aerospace consultancy services – to do a feasibility study. Recommendations from the study were to set up an institution to address the current shortage of skilled manpower for pilots and to maintain and operate new and existing acquisitions.
Source: Flight International
