Gallery: Inside India’s Newest Aviation Maintenance Training School

GMR Aero Technic has opened its new aircraft maintenance training school in Hyderabad in partnership with Airbus. It says GMR School of Aviation will be the first school of its kind in India to offer an on-the-job training integrated course at an operational MRO. Aviation Week got an exclusive look inside the facility before classes begin in January.

The school recently received Part 147 approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to provide B1 (mechanical) and B2 (avionics) training. The four-year aircraft maintenance engineering course will include two years of on-campus academic training followed by two years of on-the-job training at GMR Aero Technic.

GMR Group and Airbus first announced their education-focused partnership in August 2022 as part of efforts to solve the MRO industry’s shortage of skilled labor. In its most recent Global Services Forecast, Airbus predicts an annual need for 680,000 new technicians globally between 2032-42.

Located at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the four-acre campus will initially be able to accommodate 40 students for its EASA programs and 100 students for its Directorate General of Civil Aviation programs.

GMR School of Aviation is also the first school in India to introduce aircraft systems trainers for modern commercial aircraft as part of its practical training. The course content, courseware and software for virtual training were designed in sync with Airbus standards. Course offerings will include aircraft specific type training courses, domestic and international degree programs, and ancillary courses such as aircraft structures, aircraft composites, continuing airworthiness management and maintenance planning, and stores management.

“This school will be a game-changer for all the students worldwide aspiring to make a successful career in the aviation industry and will be instrumental in furthering India as one of the leading destinations across the world in the MRO sector,” says Ashok Gopinath, president and accountable manager at GMR Aero Technic.

GMR School of Aviation will begin training under its EASA module this month. Admissions for the school began in 2022 and students are required to score a minimum of 65% on an entrance examination to be accepted.