Govt Working To Develop Manufacturing Ecosystem For Trainer Aircraft, Seaplanes

The government is making efforts to develop a manufacturing ecosystem for trainer aircraft and seaplanes, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Wednesday.

To boost pilot training activities in the country, Naidu said the civil aviation ministry is discussing with aviation regulator DGCA to improve infrastructure facilities at the Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) in the country.

On Wednesday, the minister awarded Letters of Intent to 11 FTOs that will be setting up their training bases at seven AAI airports at a function in the national capital.

Currently, there are 41 FTOs having 63 training bases.

With the addition of 11 new FTOs, the annual pilot training capacity is expected to increase by 750 cadets per year, AAI said in a release.

Naidu said efforts are on to develop the manufacturing ecosystem for trainer aircraft and seaplanes.

"India has already witnessed the establishment of six new FTOs over the last two years. During this period, the number of training aircraft available with Indian FTOs has increased from 324 to 385, resulting in a 25% rise in annual flying hours across the pilot training ecosystem," Naidu said.

According to him, the number of Commercial Pilot Licences (CPLs) issued increased from 1,347 in 2024 to 1,652 in 2025, the highest number issued in the last decade and this year, it is expected to witness a further increase.

"Indian airlines currently have 1,640 aircraft on order, and nearly 500 aircraft are expected to be inducted over the next five years. Meeting this unprecedented growth requires a strong domestic pipeline of trained aviation professionals. Our vision is clear - Train in India, Fly in India," he said.

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the country is estimated to need 25,000 additional pilots by 2035, which means issuing around 2,500 commercial pilot licences every year.

Indian airlines are to add around 1,640 new aircraft to their fleets in the coming years and out of them, 500 planes are projected to be taken by the carriers in the next 5 years.

This is the "golden phase" of Indian aviation, Sinha said and highlighted various initiatives taken to develop a complete aviation ecosystem in the country.

Naidu also launched the FTO IFR Slot Booking App.