Northeast’s first pilot training school to come up at Lilabari airport

Guwahati: The first commercial pilot training academy in the northeast is set to start its operation by January 2022 at Lilabari in Lakhimpur district bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
The Red Bird Flight Training Academy won the bid to start three flying training organisations (FTOs) in the country and one is at Lilabari. The letter of award was issued on May 31 this year from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The academy is scheduled to be inaugurated by January 25, said sources in AAI, adding that effort is to produce 200 pilots every year.
Golda Liza Nengnong, the representative of Red Bird aviation in the east and northeast, said that preparations are in the final stage to commence the training activities soon. “Aspiring commercial pilots from anywhere in the world will be able to train at the Lilabari academy. Especially for the South Asian countries, it will be a major help and students, who want to become commercial pilots, will be able to pursue a career here in the northeast itself,” Golda said.
Till now, for commercial pilot training, aspiring commercial pilots had to travel outside the region. The Assam Flying Club, which used to provide commercial pilot training once from Guwahati airport has been defunct for a long time. Golda said the new academy will have state-of-the-art trainer aircraft with modern avionics similar to airliners like Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
Red Bird aviation, in collaboration with AAI is building up the infrastructure rapidly, comprising a hanger, taxiway and apron. The theoretical training will involve air navigation, aviation meteorology, air regulations and aircraft technical knowledge. The practicals will have 200 hours of flight training for each candidate.
03/12/21 Kangkan Kalita/Times of India