Airbus and GMR Group have entered a partnership aimed at boosting aircraft maintenance engineering in India by providing training to young aviation engineers.

As part of the contract, the four-year course provided by GMR will include a fully integrated aircraft maintenance engineering (AME) licensing program at the GMR School of Aviation in Hyderabad.

The course will include two years' worth of classroom training and a two-year MRO training at GMR's facility followed by aircraft type training. Students fresh out of high school with physics and math as their majors can apply for the course. 

This course-work is typically structured to fulfill the anticipated demand for over 45,000 new aircraft technicians in India over the next couple of decades as predicted by Airbus.

“India is rapidly evolving to become the largest aviation market by 2030 and to cater to this rising demand there will be a need for skilled professionals,” said Ashok Gopinath, CEO of GMR Aero Technic. “The GMR School of Aviation will help create a talent pool for engineering and maintenance solutions."

India has an abundance of workforce, but not all technicians and engineers passing out of AME schools are qualified or trained as per industry standards. The basic idea behind this school is to establish an internationally recognized center of excellence.

Commenting on the partnership, Remi Maillard, president and managing director of Airbus India and South Asia said, “The partnership with GMR represents a significant deepening of MRO capabilities in India that are required to match the tremendous future demand for such services from the domestic aviation industry.” 

The companies say that with Airbus as the knowledge partner, the operations and learning capacity of the school will be on par with international standards, which will give its graduates an edge in the MRO industry.

Airbus will provide the necessary software and courseware in the form of trainee handbooks, an examination database, online access to Airbus customized basic training modules and Airbus Competence Training. Airbus will also provide training to GMR instructors along with an assessment of the training center.

“Airbus will continue to contribute to the development of India’s wider aerospace ecosystem, including enhancing its manufacturing and services capabilities through its industrial footprint,” says Maillard. 

Initially, there will be 100 students per batch, gradually expanding to the full capacity of 280 students. The school is expected to be operational by October or November this year. 

Last year, Airbus and GMR signed a memorandum of understanding to explore collaboration opportunities across several strategic areas of aviation services, such as maintenance, components, training, and digital and airport services.