New Delhi, 31st March 2026: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) have signed an MoU with an objective of sharing/enhancing of knowledge, skills relevant to the scientific, technological, and management aspects in the broad areas of Aviation, Aviation Engineering and Aviation Management. It was signed by DGCA Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai and Vice Chancellor of GSV Prof Manoj Choudhury in the presence of Minister of Civil Aviation Shi Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Minster of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw. Secretary, Civil Aviation Shri Samir Kumar Sinha, Chairman Railway Board Shri Satish Kumar and other senior officials from DGCA, Railways and GSV were also present during the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Shi Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said, “On a very historic MoU that we have signed between Gati Shakti and DGCA, I would first like to congratulate both the units for being the foundation of one of the most important MoUs that is going to transform the overall aviation sector in terms of the workforce that we are trying to build for tomorrow,” adding, “Under the visionary leadership of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, we have witnessed tremendous success in the last 12 years. Especially what started as the mantra “hawai chappal se hawai jahaj ka safar”, where we wanted aviation to be not just an exclusive sector for travel but an inclusive sector for travel.” The primary objective of this MoU is to promote quality manpower for the aviation and MRO sector through an undergraduate degree in Aviation Maintenance Engineering (AME) by enhanced industry-academia partnerships. The curriculum shall be implemented from the upcoming academic year 2026-27 (August 2026) onwards. In opening remark Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation addressed the gathering saying that signing of this MoU is a historic moment. Both GSV and DGCA will work together and collaboratively design a future-ready three-year B.Sc. (AME) curriculum that seamlessly integrates academic depth, regulatory compliance, and industry-aligned competencies to power India’s next-generation MRO. In the MoU, it has also been proposed that GSV shall also work with DGCA as its research / knowledge partner in the field of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Aircraft Maintenance, Parts Manufacturing and its integration. GSV will also support in the capacity building and training of other DGCA officers. Speaking about the future of aviation sector in the country, the Minister said, “The most important part in the aviation sector is how well we are able to create an aviation manufacturing ecosystem in the country, and this is something we have focused on. We have seen tremendous success in the last 5 years, especially in terms of MROs, which have increased from around 160 to more than 240.” Shri Shi Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu further elaborated, “We always talk about the demand India is creating in aviation. It is a very huge figure—we have around 1700 aircraft on order, which itself gives you the picture of nearly 2X of the current fleet. These aircraft are going to take few years to come into our airspace. Once the whole ecosystem is built, we may have up to 3,000 aircraft in our airspace by, probably, 2036.” He said that by then, all these aircraft must be supported by the right workforce. The requirement for pilots in the next 10 years is going to be around 10,000 to 12,000. Currently, many pilots prefer to do their training outside and then come back to India. Speaking about achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047, the Minister said, “By 2047, we aim to become a developed country, and for that, we must be self-reliant. We want to see an Atmanirbhar Bharat—where we make in India and train in India. All these components, when combined together, are what this MoU is going to focus on.” In closing remark Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw reiterated that the GSV has already earned its worldwide reputation and entered in collaboration with sixty two industry partners to produce industry ready professionals. He also called upon to establish a centre of excellence for precision manufacturing engineering in GSV to support the initiative of Viksit Bharat. This MoU will establish structured bridge between regulation, academia, and industry. While DGCA continues to set licensing standards under CAR-66 and CAR-147 frameworks, GSV shall function as a national academic anchor for curriculum innovation, instructor development, research integration, and industry-linked apprenticeship models. By embedding hands-on MRO training, simulation labs, OEM partnerships, and competency-based learning pathways into AME education, the GSV- DGCA collaboration shall create a future-ready workforce capable of supporting India’s expanding airline fleets and positioning the country as a competitive global MRO destination not only for aircraft maintenance but also for aircraft manufacturing.
