Airbus is ready to train India’s future aviation engineers by joining hands with the country’s leading aviation infrastructure developer, the GMR Group. The collaboration is expected to help supply the skilled workforce that India would need in the coming years as it grows to become the world’s third-biggest aviation market.
The partnership
Airbus has partnered with the GMR Group to provide a fully integrated Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) licensing program to young candidates to fulfill India’s requirement for trained aviation engineers in the future.
According to the Airbus Global Market Forecast 2022, India will require some 45,000 new aircraft technicians over the next 20 years. With a rapidly evolving aviation ecosystem, India’s air traffic is set to see significant growth. To cater to the emerging demand and support the industry, there is a need for skilled professionals. And the partnership will help create a talent pool for engineering and maintenance solutions.
Ashok Gopinath, CEO, GMR Aero Technic, said,
“We are glad to have Airbus as our knowledge partner in this venture, that will also further the cause of ‘Mission Skill India’”
Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India & South Asia, also commented:
“The partnership with GMR represents a significant deepening of MRO capabilities in India that are required to match the tremendous future demand for such services from the domestic aviation industry. Airbus will continue to contribute to the development of India’s wider aerospace ecosystem, including enhancing its manufacturing and services capabilities through its industrial footprint.”
About the program
GMR will provide the fully integrated Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) licensing program at the GMR School of Aviation in Hyderabad. The four-year course will include two years of classroom training and a two-year training in maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) at GMR Aero Technic in Hyderabad, followed by aircraft type training.
Airbus will chip in to provide the necessary software and courseware in the form of trainee handbooks, examination database, online access to Airbus customized basic training modules, and Airbus Competence Training (ACT) for the Academy media package, which is the technical training material required for the courses.
Follow Simple Flying for all the latest aviation news.
In addition, the planemaker will also provide training to GMR instructors and assess the training center. The program will commence this year.
Push for MRO hubs in India
There have been several developments lately to bring India up to speed as far as MRO is concerned. Last year, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia discussed several changes the government wishes to bring about in the MRO business sector.
Some of the proposed changes included leasing land through open tenders, allocating land for MRO for 30 years instead of the current 3 to 5 years, and removing the 13% turnover royalty charged by the Airports Authority of India. India only holds a tiny 2.5% share of the mammoth $80 billion global aircraft maintenance industry and sends most of its airplanes to the Middle East and the South-East Asian region.
With new talents being trained and the government pushing to create maintenance hubs in the country, India could also look to become a significant player in this sector.
What are your views on this? Please leave a comment below.
This content was originally published here.