Aviation schools fly on glamor wings

“A lot of people, especially aspiring models and actresses, who fail to make it for whatever reason, see being part of the cabin crew as the next glamorous thing to do,” says Harroop Saund who will soon take to the skies with Kingfisher Airlines, once her training with the airline is over.
It is this perceived glamor in the profession that is driving people across the country to take up courses, making way for aviation training institutes to mushroom.
The players in this segment are looking at adding more centers both in India and abroad. UB Group recently announced that its training arm, Kingfisher Training Academy (KTA), will add 12 centers by February; it is also open to starting schools in Colombo and the Middle East.
Air hostess Academy (AHA), on its part, said it will open schools in the UK, Dubai and Sydney besides boosting its local presence.
The international push is also there from Avalon, which says it will follow in parent Aptech’s footsteps and open schools both in India and abroad.
Frankfinn Institute, one of the largest players in this segment with presence in 95 cities, has already embarked on the international route with a center in Dubai.
The entry of UB Group which also runs Kingfisher Airlines into this space seems to have had a catalytic effect.
Frankfinn has 120 centers in 95 cities across the country. Avalon currently has 36 centers in India which they plan to hike to 40 by March 2008. AHA, on the other hand, is adding 10 more centers in the country, taking the total number of centers in the country to 40.
By 2010, KTA plans to open franchises in 25 centers across the country.
12/12/07 Nirmal John/DNA Money/Sify.com