GMR Aviation Academy, the aviation/airport training arm of the GMR Group, on Monday signed an MoU with the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) for a joint post graduate diploma in aviation/airport operations.

The MoU was signed in New Delhi by GMR Airports Ltd whole-time Director P.S. Nair, RGNAU Vice Chancellor, Air Vice Marshal Nalin Tandon in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju and Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey.

This is the first of its kind PG diploma course in aviation/airport operations for graduates aspiring to join the aviation industry. The objective of the MoU is to facilitate and promote professional aviation studies and provide in-depth knowledge of the functioning of an airport in particular and the aviation subsets, in general, GMR said in a statement here.

The one-year course includes a mix of theory and practical on-the-job training at the state-of-the-art GMR led airports at Hyderabad/Delhi.

“It is estimated that the aviation industry in India will require close to 1 million skilled personnel over the next 10-15 years which will pose a great challenge if adequate number of people are not trained in this highly specialised and complex area,” said Nair.

“The Indian civil aviation sector is currently growing at approximately 20 per cent and is expected to be the 3rd largest market by 2020. With such positive, India undoubtedly has the potential to become a significant part of the global supply chain. This will in turn steer demand for trained professionals in the field of aviation,” said Tandon.