No ‘A+’ For Indian Flight Schools: Three Of Nine Maharashtra-Based FTOs Struggle With Category ‘C’ In MoCA Rankings

Mumbai: None of the flying training organisations (FTOs) in India managed to clinch the top-tier ‘A+’ category even in the second edition of the Ministry of Civil Aviation's (MoCA) performance-based ranking. While only one FTO could secure ‘A’ category, the ministry noted that all the FTOs showed improvement in their performance. At the same time, three out of the nine Maharashtra-based FTOs continued to remain in the ‘C’ category.

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Bi-annual report card released for 35 flying schools

The bi-annual report card was released on Friday by union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidy Kinjarapu for the 35 DGCA-approved flying schools functioning across India. The report came as a sobering check for the country's pilot training infrastructure as the elite ‘A+’ bracket, reserved for FTOs scoring 85% or higher in performance, remained consistently unoccupied for the second term.

However, the April 2026 ranking reported a notable improvement from the inaugural rankings of October 2025, where no school even reached the 'A' category. This time, Rajasthan's Kishangarh-based Avyanna Aviation secured the lone ‘A’ category spot, scoring between 70% and 85% on the rigorous assessment scale.

FTOs ranked on safety, assets, output, satisfaction

​The ranking framework evaluates FTOs on several critical parameters like safety standards for incident-free flying hours and adherence to DGCA safety protocols, asset utilisation like efficiency of the aircraft fleet and instructor-to-student ratios, output efficiency and student satisfaction. The flying school securing above 85% is categorised as ‘A+’, between 70% to 85% as ‘A’, 50% to 70% as ‘B’ and below 50% as ‘C’. The FTOs in ‘C’ category are issued notices by the DGCA for self-analysis towards improvement of their performance.

The ministry stated that the overall ranking of Indian FTOs in this edition saw a decent improvement in comparison to the previous ranking. According to the analysis, only 17 schools remained in the ‘C’ category, against 20 in the previous edition whereas 20 FTOs secured category ‘B’, against 17 in the previous ranking.

Three Maharashtra FTOs languish in 'C' category

​The rankings have cast a spotlight on regional disparities, particularly in Maharashtra, a major hub for aviation training. Out of the nine FTOs based in the state, three languish in the ‘C’ category. ​These include the Nagpur Flying Club in Nagpur and Chandrapur, SVKM’s NMIMS Academy of Aviation in Dhule, and the Redbird Flight Training Academy in Baramati. Institutions like The Bombay Flying Club in Juhu, Carver Aviation in Baramati and the government-run Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) in Gondia improved their performance to climb to the ‘B’ category.

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The ministry highlighted that the training flying hours have increased from 32% to 50% since the introduction of the ranking system. Moreover, it has witnessed expansion of aircraft fleet at FTOs and improved training efficiency, enabling reduction in time taken by cadets to complete flying requirements for obtaining commercial pilot licence (CPL).

Naidu pushes 'train in India, fly in India' vision

Naidu said, “The bigger objective is to enhance the global competitiveness of Indian FTOs by encouraging them to align with international benchmarks and to promote self-reliance in pilot training with a call for train in India, fly in India. We have taken multiple measures to strengthen the ecosystem, including liberalizing the FTO policy, abolishing airport royalties and rationalizing land rentals.”

The ministry stated that the number of CPLs issued has increased by more than 2.5 times over the last eight years, with record numbers in 2024 and 2025. In the last 18 months, six new FTOs have been permitted and six more are in the pipeline.

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