Mumbai based Bafna Air – a private jet charter service company is keen on starting Commercial Helicopter Pilot License (CHPL) institute in India by January 2010. The company is going to offer 25 seats per year with a minimum of 210 hours of training. For the same, it has tied up with Hawaii based Mauna Loa Helicopter Institute for technical support and course structure. Bafna Air has submitted the applications and documents to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and is awaiting approvals. The company has selected few sites in Osmanabad, Surat, Latur and Solapur. Arun Lohiya, CEO, Bafna Air said, “We are looking at a base where there is minimum air traffic movement. The Ministry is going to finalise the location where we can start the institute.”
Talking about the potential of helicopter training institute in India, Lohiya, said, “Due to growing heli-tourism segment, there is a huge demand for trained helicopter pilots in the market. With negligible number of quality helicopter training institutes in India, most aspiring helicopter pilots from the country go to US for professional training. |