The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is preparing to enter the country’s pilot training ecosystem by establishing Full Flight Simulator (FFS) and Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO) facilities across its airport network, marking a strategic diversification beyond its traditional role as an airport developer and operator, sources told businessline.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) document, reviewed by businessline, showed that AAI has invited bids to appoint a consultant for preparing a comprehensive implementation strategy for establishing FFS and TRTO facilities at suitable airports under its network.

The move assumes significance as it signals the entry of a government-backed entity into a segment that has so far largely been dominated by private training providers.

Besides, this comes at a time when India is expected to witness a sharp rise in demand for trained commercial pilots. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the country currently has 10,261 valid Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) holders. The government has projected that India will require around 30,000 pilots over the next 15-20 years to support the induction of more than 1,700 aircraft already on order by India’s airlines. To meet this growing requirement, the Centre has been promoting the establishment of pilot training centres, Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) and simulator-based training infrastructure to strengthen the aviation skilling ecosystem.

At present, India’s rapidly expanding airline industry has been grappling with limited flight simulator capacity, forcing airlines to compete for slots and, in some cases, send pilots overseas for type-rating programmes.

Consequently, several Indian airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, have already established simulator training centres. Additionally, private training providers such as CAE and L3Harris also operate Full Flight Simulator facilities to cater to the growing training requirements of airlines. However, setting up such infrastructure requires significant capital investments, with a modern Full Flight Simulator typically costing upwards of ₹100 crore per unit, apart from the expenditure on associated infrastructure, maintenance and regulatory compliance.

Scope of work

The AAI tender document states that the objective is to develop a sustainable business model that enables the Authority to participate in the growing aviation training market while leveraging its airport infrastructure.

It added that the consultant will undertake an assessment of the market demand, identify suitable airport locations, evaluate infrastructure requirements, recommend partnership models and prepare detailed financial projections covering capital and operating expenditure, as also revenue streams and return on investment.

The consultant will examine domestic as well as international demand for simulator-based pilot training and type-rating programmes while identifying aircraft types for which simulator demand is expected to remain strong over the coming years.

Published on July 6, 2026