New global pilot training alliance for India

Against the backdrop of exponential growth in the Indian Aviation sector and a looming shortage of commercial pilots to fly current & future fleets, Airways Aviation comes together of a new strategic alliance with India’s Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy. The Dubai headquartered Airways Aviation & Hyderabad based Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy Limited signed a strategic partnership deal that will provide prospective Indian students & Airline cadets access to a new and innovative Pilot Pathway Program from May 2023.

Pilots are at the very heart of the aviation industry and the Indian government, regulators and airline operators are increasingly confronted with the importance & necessity around investing into developing an ongoing pipeline of well trained and properly qualified airline pilots along with many other categories of aviation industry professionals. It is a fact that demand will far outstrip supply for the foreseeable future and the reality is that not all the Pilots needed to meet these demands can be home grown at this stage in the the country’s evolution. It is therefore prudent that Indian Flight Training Organizations (along with their airline counterparts) continue to establish new and robust strategic education & training alliances with reputed, capable & established international partners. 

Romy Hawatt, Airways Aviation Group Founder & Chairman, commented: “It is great to visit Hyderabad again and I am very impressed at the progress being made. India is on the move and notwithstanding some of the challenges, the improvements and growth are evident every time I visit. Hyderabad is undoubtedly one of the country’s best known aviation locations and hosts a number of renowned aviation industry players including our new alliance partner Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy . Locating the right resourced and ready to go, local partner is and essential component to the success of any venture in a vast territory like India and on balance, with APFT, we feel we have found the right organization to grow and develop our strategic plans with. The new Airways Aviation offices will be located at the GMR AERO TOWERS within the Hyderabad Aero City Economic zone and we plan to start delivering our bespoke Pilot Foundation program to prospective aviators from  May 2023.“

It is only with a consistent pipeline of internationally qualified pilots that will allow India to meet the rapidly growing demands. India must double the number of (employable) graduate pilots to meet both its annual domestic & international carrier needs and the industry would benefit tremendously by expanding existing as well as developing new strategic collaborations and alliances with the world’s best.

The Airways Aviation / APFT Program is essentially a Modular pathway that includes several flexible training phases which are designed to be adapted to both student and airline partner needs.  

Phase 1. Pilot Foundation - Classes will be conducted at the new Airways Aviation facilities at GMR AERO TOWERS at Hyderabad International Airport. The Airways Aviation Foundation Course is the perfect option for aspiring aviators all over India who are interested in beginning their studies close to home. 

Students will experience a tailored curriculum that has been developed by industry professionals to provide a meaningful introduction into the theoretical and practical aspects of aviation. Students will be assessed & assisted through those first critical steps and gain the knowledge required to progress, with confidence, to the practical flight training phase.

Phase 2. Private Pilot License (PPL) practical flight training (with added theory as required) at the APFT operating bases in both Hyderabad & Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Airports in India.

Phase 3. Structured Hour building (SHB) at APFT in India and/or at the students choice of Airways Aviation global locations.

Phase 4. Train for an Australian CASA Commercial Pilot License (CPL MEIR) at Airways Aviation Australia or a European EASA Air Transport Pilot License (fATPL) at and Airways Aviation location in Europe. 

Indian students joining the Airways Aviation / APFT program have the added benefit & opportunity to earn a Double Qualification of a Bachelors Degree in Business plus a (CPL MEIR) in conjunction with university partners Griffith Universityor Southern Cross University in Australia or a (fATPL) and Bachelors Degree in conjunction with Montpellier Business School (MBS) in France.  All courses and training are conducted in English.

Phase 5. Conversion to Indian DGCA with APFT in India upon graduation from training and the award of either the CASA CPL or EASA License 

Phase 6. Airline Interview - Negotiations are afoot to secure interviews with various Indian Airlines for Airways Aviation APFT Graduates. Further announcements are expected on this in the not too distant future.

 Mr. Hemanth D.P., CEO of APFT, an industry veteran and former Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer at GMR Airports, said: “APFT have been actively seeking out the worlds best aviation training operators and adapting the best international standards and practices consistent with the Indian DGCA requirements & regulations and among the many pilot training organizations out there only a handful can be considered world class. The triple A rated, Airways Aviation Group have trained well over 8,000 pilots, have the largest global footprint of any privately owned aviation academy and also have one of the world’s largest privately owned training fleets of aircraft.

In partnership with the Airways Aviation Group, APFT believe we will be able to not only help meet the demand for highly trained & qualified Indian pilots but to also help enhance the standard of training, fleet & facilities thus assisting India attaining her coveted goal of becoming a world class aviation training hub. APFT has already acquired 3 x Diamond DA 40’s (one of the worlds most advance flight training aircraft), from Airways Aviation to boost our existing fleet of 4 x DA 40’s and a DA42 all with Jet A1 Fuel powered Continental engines. This gives APFT the best quality fleet of training aircraft in India today but with the aim to grow to over 20 aircraft in the coming years.” 

Rizwan Taj, Pilot Instructor & Airways Aviation new Indian Territory Manager stated about the coming pilot shortage: "India currently graduates approx. 800 commercial pilots a year against a demand that will more than double with the airline expansions on the anvil. Indian Airlines have acknowledged the pilot shortage from the past years, and anticipate that if not addressed well will hamper the growing demands for air travel."

The partnership between Airways Aviation and APFT boasts a combined global training fleet of approximately 80 aircraft.