Rs 112.5 cr Rajiv Gandhi Flying Training Institute

New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone for the Rs 112.5 crore Rajiv Gandhi National Flying Training Institute at Gondia, Maharashtra on February 9.

A joint venture agreement for the institute was signed by the Airports Authority of India and the CAE of Canada today.

The institute will have the capacity to train 100 pilots initially, which will be increased to 200, a step to address the shortage of pilots in the country.

It will be equipped with classrooms, a hostel, a library, a workshop, a cafeteria, a guesthouse and a club.

The school will operate new aircraft, and will use CAE's courseware and innovative training methodologies.

The CAE also signed a management contract with the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) located at Fursatganj Airport in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.

For IGRUA, the management contract is for ten years initially.

The first 12 months of fiscal 2008-09 will be a ramp up period wherein new facilities and aircraft will be added.

The number of pilots being trained in the Akademi will increase from the present 40 to 100 by March 2009.

The CAE will manage IGRUA's existing flight school activities, including maintenance of aircraft, flying operations, air traffic control, runway maintenance, fire fighting facilities, security, staff and student facilities, as well as transportation.

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