34 FTOs operating across the country, no shortage of pilots: MoS Civil Aviation

New Delhi: There are 34 Flying Training Organisations (FTOs), operating at 55 bases in the country, to impart flying training to cadets, the Parliament was told on Monday.

Giving the information in the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Gen V.K. Singh (retd) also said that there is no shortage of pilots in the country.

In the current year (till October), a total of 1,371 commercial pilot licenses (CPLs) have been issued so far and the trend indicates a sharp increase in number of CPLs issued in comparison to previous years, he said.

Singh also said that the government has taken several steps to establish more flying schools across the country to train greater number of commercial pilots.

In 2021, after a competitive bidding process, the Airport Authority of India awarded nine FTO slots at five airports at Belagavi (Karnataka), Jalgaon (Maharashtra), Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), and Lilabari (Assam), he said.

"As on June 30, 2022, four of these FTOs are operational, one each at Jalgaon and Lilabari, and two at Kalaburagi. Among these FTOs, helicopter training is being imparted at Khajuraho," he added.

In June 2022, after a competitive bidding process, six more FTO slots were awarded by the AAI at five airports namely: Bhavnagar (Gujarat), Hubballi (Karnataka), Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh), Kishangarh (Rajasthan), and Salem (Tamil Nadu). Of these, one FTO slot at Salem is operational.

"India's largest flying academy - Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) at Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) - has been permitted to carry out pilot training in Gondia (Maharashtra) and Kalaburagi (Karnataka) to enhance its flying hours and aircraft utilisation," he also told the house.