By IANS
New Delhi : A Canadian aviation major Tuesday inked a pact to transform an Indian state-owned flying academy located in Congress president Sonia Gandhi's parliamentary constituency into a centre of excellence and increase its intake from the existing 40 to 200.
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) will provide management services at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA), located at Jagdishpur in Gandhi's Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The MoU was signed in the presence of the Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and senior ministry officials on the sidelines of the ongoing Paris Air Show.
"CAE will transform IGRUA into a centre of excellence for India, leading the Indian market in the delivery of a complete range of high-quality aviation training programmes," a statement issued here by the civil aviation ministry said.
Under the MoU, CAE will assume full responsibility of the management of IGRUA's existing flying school operations including maintenance of aircraft, flying operations, air traffic control (ATC), runway maintenance, navigational aids and fire fighting facilities.
The academy's capacity will be increased from the present 40 cadets to about 110 per year and to eventually more than 200 per year.
"CAE will adopt a performance based management philosophy," the statement said.
"IGRUA will be in a position to leverage CAE's advanced training and management systems. CAE will make available to IGRUA relevant expertise, software and other tools/instruments," the statement added.
IGRUA had issued an invitation for expression of interest for a management contract for its flight school operations to renowned flight training institutions specifying its requirements, including compliance with the flying syllabus approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The management contract has been entered into for an initial term of 10 years. It may be renewed by mutual agreement on both sides for consecutive five-year terms.