Air India to set up aircraft maintenance training institute in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Air India is setting up a Basic Maintenance Training Organisation (BMTO) in the city, which offers an integrated 2+2 years’ Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) programme.

Air India has signed an agreement with Bengaluru Airport City Limited (BACL), a subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), to develop a built-to-suit facility for the AME programme, spread over 86,000 sqft in the Bengaluru Airport City.

The Air India BMTO is a step towards building a robust, future-ready aviation ecosystem in India, the company said.

Operational by 2026

The institute will be operational by mid-2026.

The BMTO will be housed close to Air India’s new 12-bay Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Bengaluru.

The programme, certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), at the BMTO will include two years of in-classroom academic coursework followed by two years of practical on-job training at the MRO.

Till the new BMTO facility starts operating, Air India will implement a Cadet AME programme with other reputable institutions across Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

“The BMTO will establish a pipeline of skilled engineers trained to Air India standards from the outset. This facility and programme, combined with proximity to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), will enable our AME cadets to gain hands-on, real-world experience as part of their training,” read a statement from Sunil Bhaskaran, director of Aviation Academy, Air India.