India’s FTO urges Odisha government to relax its turnover of Rs 1,000 crore to bid for operation of Biju Patnaik Aviation Centre

Odisha government has already operated a tender at Biju Patnaik Aviation Centre in Dhenkanal for the choice of operational partners | Photo source: x/@ipr_odisha

“India’s Flight Training Organization (FTO) has urged the Odisha government to relax the conditions for errors of more than Rs 100 crore in the past three years to qualify for the Biju Patnaik Aviation Centre (BPAC) in the Dhenkanal area during the bidding process,” an official said.

In attending a recent pre-tender meeting with the Odisha government’s transport and commercial sector, the Indian FTO pointed out that none of them qualify for bids as all domestic FTOs suffered huge financial losses during the Covid-19-19-19-19-19 pandemic. “The turnover in the last three years also includes the pandemic period,” they said.

But when contacted, a senior official said the state government has not made any decisions in this regard. The Odisha government has surfaced for tenders to choose an operating partner (OP) to operate the Biju Patnaik Aviation Centre in Dhenkanal.

The Aviation Centre aims to train youth from Odisha and place them in mainstream activities in the aviation sector, such as pilots and cabin staff. The state government also designated a vacancy in Birasal, Dhenkanal district, to create infrastructure, which costs Rs 56.2 crore.

The infrastructure will include 53 coaching aircraft and 3 simulators, in addition to fully developed airports, clothes hangers, service buildings, student hotels, etc. Sources said four Indian FTOs were eager to participate in the project but were unable to bid because they had made less than Rs 1,000 crore in mistakes over the past three years.

In a resolution notified on March 12, 2024, the Odisha government said that India faces an urgent need to consistently produce 2,000 pilots per year over the next 20 years to meet the growing demand for airline pilots. However, existing flight schools can only produce 900-1,000 pilots a year, resulting in a large amount of deficiencies.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation Records stated that about 42% of the commercial pilot licenses issued were trained in foreign flight schools. “The proposed BPAC project aims to bridge this gap by training about 500 pilots each year at a comprehensive potential stage, with the potential to revolutionize the country’s aviation sector,” it said.