News
Airbus breaks ground on training facility in Delhi
March 24th 2017
Airbus has broken ground on a pilot and maintenance crew training centre in New Delhi, the OEM’s first fully-owned training facility in Asia, following a number of successful joint ventures, including a training centre with Singapore Airlines in Singapore and a training service agreement with Angkasa Aviation Academy in Indonesia. Read More »
The 7,000 square metre Airbus India Training Centre will be built in a modular concept in order for it to be operational as early as next year. Initially to be equipped with two A320 full flight simulators, the facility could be expanded to accommodate four and potentially six simulators. It will start with an initial capacity to train more than 800 pilots and 200 engineers annually.
The centre will cater primarily to Airbus operators in India and the region. Airbus has more than 250 aircraft in service in India and more than 570 on order from Indian airlines, including more than 400 outstanding A320neo Family orders from IndiGo Airlines and approximately 130 from GoAir.
India is forecast to be the world’s second largest domestic aviation market by 2035, growing at an average 9.3% for the next 20 years and outpacing the world average of 4.6%.
"India's rapidly growing passenger aircraft fleet must be matched by adequate availability of skilled pilots and maintenance engineers. Airbus' pilot and maintenance engineering training centre is the type of facility which will help augment the talent pool of such personnel and thus be a force multiplier for the Indian aviation sector," said Indian civil aviation minister, Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, at the ground breaking ceremony.
"We have only scratched the surface when it comes to the growth of civil aviation in India. This training centre will be the first such facility fully owned by us in Asia. It is a symbol of our enduring partnership with this country," said Airbus Group CEO, Tom Enders.
Asked about the recent string of incidents involving Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered A320neo in India – and a subsequent probe by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – Enders said Airbus “does not see” how this would impact its A320neo delivery schedule. The DGCA has ordered more frequent GTF inspections after metal chip particles were detected in some of the engines.
