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Era of aviation being a playground for the wealthy is over: Punjab CM Mann
Bhagwant Mann says his government is building a robust aviation ecosystem by providing quality, affordable and world-class training aligned with industry needs
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addresses the gathering during the ‘Ambran Di Udari’ pilot training programme at the Punjab Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering College and Patiala Aviation Club, in Patiala, Saturday, Dec. 20. (PTI Photo)
Punjab government is building a robust aviation ecosystem by providing quality, affordable and world-class training aligned with industry needs, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Saturday said, adding that the state will be positioned as a major hub of the aviation industry in the coming years.
Interacting with aircraft engineers and trainees at the Patiala Flying Club, Mann said his government’s focus is to create job providers rather than job seekers.
Mann, who had a dialogue session with 32 trainee pilots and 72 students from Patiala Aircraft Maintenance Engineering College, said, “Among the 32 trainee pilots, most belong to the first generation in their families entering the aviation sector. In private institutes, it costs Rs 40 to 45 lakh to become a commercial pilot, while at the Patiala Flying Club, there is about a 50 per cent subsidy, reducing the fee to Rs 22 to 25 lakh”.
With a reduction of fee by nearly Rs 20 lakh, students from ordinary households like shopkeepers, teachers, farmers, clerks and others can now dream of becoming pilots, he said, adding that that the era of aviation being a playground only for the wealthy is over.
An official statement said, a new website of the Department of Civil Aviation was also launched on the occasion.
Mann said the Patiala State Aviation Council, Punjab, aims to give every child a chance to fulfil their dream of flying high in the sky. He said an aviation museum is being established at the Patiala Aviation Complex at a cost of ₹7 crore. “The museum will showcase MiG aircraft, second-generation helicopters, simulators, and aviation heritage,” he said.
The Patiala Flying Club has broken the decades-long barrier, where training to become a pilot was possible only for the very wealthy, he said. The club was established in 1965 and spans 253 acres, making it one of the largest aviation training campuses in India, Mann said.
He said the club ranks seventh nationwide and currently it operates seven training aircraft, including five single-engine planes, two multi-engine planes and one Tecnam P2006T (newly added, purchased from Italy for Rs 5 crore). “The facilities include night landing capability at Patiala airfield and training experience at Amritsar International Airport,” he said.
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“The aviation career is not limited to becoming a pilot, as many students want to work in aviation but not necessarily as pilots,” he added.
For them, Mann said that the Punjab government offers affordable technical education at Patiala Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) College, which runs India’s most economical AME and B.Sc (Hons) programs.
He claimed that a three-year B.Sc (Hons) plus three-year Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved AME programme costs only Rs 3 lakh in total, whereas in other states, the same course costs Rs 5 to 8 lakh.
About one-third of seats are reserved for students from the SC and OBC categories, he said.
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It is a matter of pride that more than 4,000 trained professionals from the Patiala Flying Club and College are working in major companies, earning an average starting salary of Rs 1.5 lakh per month, he said.
The chief minister said that key Indian airlines are the main employers for the students of this prestigious institute.
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