India adds 11 new flying training organisations, raising pilot capacity by 750

On August 5, 2026, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu announced the award of Letters of Intent for 11 new Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) at seven Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports. The new FTOs increase the total number of training organisations from 41 to 52 and are expected to add 750 pilot‑cadet slots per year to India's civil aviation training pipeline.

The expansion follows a 25% rise in annual flying hours, an increase in training aircraft from 324 to 385, and a growth in Commercial Pilot Licences issued from 1,347 in 2024 to 1,652 in 2025. With Indian airlines having 1,640 aircraft on order and about 500 slated for delivery over the next five years, the government aims to build a domestic workforce to meet the sector’s rapid growth.