Letters of intent issued on August 5, 2026 proposed 11 new flying-training organisations across seven Airports Authority of India airports. The Civil Aviation Ministry estimated that the expansion would add capacity for 750 cadets annually. It placed the proposals alongside an existing network of 41 organisations operating from 63 bases.
Airport access also received a scheduling tool. The ministry launched an app showing available instrument-flight-rules training slots at AAI airports and allowing schools to submit booking requests digitally. This addresses a practical coordination problem: a training organisation needs usable flying opportunities as well as a location from which to operate. A count of bases alone does not describe that availability.
Training pace is examined separately in DGCA's ranking system. The March 24 notice reproduced by Telangana State Aviation Academy assesses the time cadets take to complete 175 flying hours. For this measure it counts cadets completing all those hours with one organisation and reaching the final hour during the assessment period. That definition ties the measure to a school's own delivery.
The same published criteria consider students relative to aircraft and instructors. Instructors count for the relevant ratio only after actively flying with that organisation for at least 120 days during the specified year. The distinction matters because a nominal staff list and instructors consistently available for training are different measures of capacity. The framework also includes aircraft maintenance staffing, safety and student-grievance arrangements.
The ministry released its second-phase rankings on April 24, before the August expansion. The measures address connected constraints: where training takes place, when slots are available and how effectively schools deliver flying hours. The proposed 750 places describe added capacity; the ranking criteria examine performance in using training resources.
