The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday signed two memoranda of understanding with the Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) to establish the Rs 114 crore National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) as well as take over the management of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA).

The NFTI will be situated at Gondia in Maharashtra, from where Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel contested for Lok Sabha, while IGURA is located at Fursatganj in Uttar Pradesh. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Mr Patel on the second day of the  Paris Air Show.

An official release said CAE will have 51 per cent and Airports Authority of India (AAI) 49 per cent equity at the NFTI. The institute will provide ab-initio training of civil pilots in fixed and rotary wings to aircraft, using airline transport pilot license programme and eventually the multi-crew pilot license programme. It will produce approximately 200 pilots a year. As for IGRUA, the CAE will assume full responsibility of the management of its existing flying school operations, including maintenance of aircraft, flying operations, air traffic control, runway maintenance, navigational aids, fire fighting facilities, etc.

Its capacity will be increased from the present 40 cadets to 110 per year and to eventually more than 200.

As per the agreement, CAE will transform IGRUA into a centre of excellence for India, leading the Indian market in the delivery of a complete range of high-quality aviation training programmes.

Jet show
Meanwhile, Jet Airways on Monday unveiled at the air show its newly acquired Boeing 777 in the new livery. Inducted as a part of its aggressive growth strategy, this aircraft is part of the firm’s order for 10 such aircraft from Boeing.

On August 5, Jet will launch its first flight from Mumbai to Newark (USA) via Brussels.