Maharashtra to get state-run aviation institute

The AAI signed a pact with the Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) to set up a Rs 1.14 billion National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) at Gondia in Maharashtra.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday signed a pact with the Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) to set up a Rs 1.14 billion ($27.5 million) National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) at Gondia in Maharashtra.

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The pact, signed in Paris in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in whose constituency the academy would come up, calls for 49 percent equity with the AAI and the rest with the Canadian company.

"The institute will have a state-of-the-art facility equipped with classrooms, a hostel, a library and workshop. The school will operate new aircraft and will use CAE's courseware and innovative training equipment," an official statement said.

The institute will produce approximately 200 pilots a year.