Air India invests in Diamond Aircraft DA42-VI

Diamond Aircraft announced a deal with Air India for the acquisition of three new twin-engine DA42-VI aircraft – with an option for six more – for Air India’s new Flight Training Organization in Amravati, Maharashtra. This order marks the start of Diamond Aircraft’s cooperation with India’s flag carrier airline. Delivery of the first plane is anticipated in summer 2025.

Jane Wang, Director of Sales, Marketing, and Flight Ops at Diamond Aircraft Austria commented: “We are thrilled to play such a vital role in Air India’s drive to become entirely self-sufficient in training new pilots for its expanding fleet. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership. The DA42-VI is designed to make transitioning from single- to multi-engine aircraft training much easier, and Air India’s future cadets will benefit from this. The glass cockpit will help prepare them for their future careers flying large commercial jets.” 

Sunil Bhaskaran, Director, Aviation Academy, Air India stated: “We are excited to partner with Diamond Aircraft as we set up India's first airline-owned and operated cadet pilot school. We see this as the beginning of a partnership with Diamond to support Air India's vision to strengthen the aviation training ecosystem in India and become self-reliant.” The four-seat DA42-VI is the newest version of Diamond’s industry-leading, twin-engine piston plane. Ideal for pilot training, its jet-fuel powerplant generates fuel savings of up to 50% compared to conventional AVGAS-powered twins, and its panoramic canopy provides excellent visibility during flight maneuvers. 

Air India’s pilot school will be officially opened in the second half of 2025 as South Asia’s largest flight school, training around 180 pilots each year. It will be equipped with digitally enabled classrooms, a digitized operations center, and its own maintenance facility to elevate operational efficiency. The DA42 will come into play as cadets progress to multi-engine flight training.

Diamond’s dedication to flight training has shaped its product line of modern fuel-efficient aircraft, each with a specific training application in mind. With its complete line of piston aircraft including a dedicated flight training concept with Single Engine Piston (DA40 NG, DA40 XLT) and Multi Engine Piston (DA42-VI) trainers, along with type-specific flight training simulators and proprietary jet-fuel engines, Diamond Aircraft is the only sole source provider in the flight training market.