Pilot training specialist CAE here at the show on Tuesday announced the signature of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a joint venture with the Airport Authority of India (AAI). Under the agreement, CAE will be involved in two training centers in the country. A combined 400 to 600 pilots should be licensed annually through these new schools.

In Gondia, Maharashtra State, CAE and AAI will jointly own the National Flying Training Institute–a $25-million investment in total. CAE will also manage the existing Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) in Rae Bareli.

According to minister of civil aviation Praful Patel, there are today some 2,500 active pilots in India, with an estimated need for another 5,000 over the next five years.