Air India To Establish Bengaluru Maintenance Training School

Air India plans to open a new maintenance training organization in Bengaluru by mid-2026 as part of its efforts to establish a robust aviation and MRO ecosystem in India.

The aircraft maintenance engineering school will offer a four-year program certified by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, including two years of academic course work and two years of practical training at Air India’s Bengaluru MRO facility.

The school will be located near Air India’s new Bengaluru MRO facility, which it broke ground on earlier this year and plans to begin operating from by 2026. Air India has partnered with Bengaluru Airport City Limited (BACL), a subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Limited, on the training facility. As part of the deal, BACL will build an 86,000 ft.2 campus at the Bengaluru Airport City development that will feature modern classrooms, laboratories for practical training and a team of qualified instructors.

To help meet its pressing need for aircraft maintenance engineers, Air India plans to implement a Cadet AME program—similar to the airline’s Cadet Pilot program— in which it will partner with other institutions and colleges across Bengaluru and Hyderabad on workforce developments and support for its AME requirements. Air India also plans to encourage AME students to pursue a simultaneous bachelor’s degree through its university partnerships to enhance their academic and career opportunities.

According to Sunil Bhaskaran, director of Air India’s Aviation Academy, the AME school “will establish a pipeline of skilled engineers trained to Air India standards from the outset,” which will help the airline support its progressive fleet expansion.