The University of Pune (UOP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Germany-based pilot training and flight institute to offer a two-year post-graduate course in aviation starting from September 1.
The course, which will confer M.Tech (Aviation) degree for students with BE or B.Tech, envisages onsite aviation training at the institute’s facility in Germany for three semesters in addition to a six-months study at the UOP’s Department of Technology.
The students returning to India after their onsite training at the flight school in Germany — FFL — will be asked to undergo tests by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to secure an Indian flying licence. Talks with DGCA on the proposal were in progress, Vice-Chancellor of UOP Vasudeo Gade said.
The degree would also entitle the students to apply for a European flying licence on approval from the German aviation regulator, he added.
Representatives of FFL, including its chief executive officer Ulrich Langenecker, were present on the occasion of signing of the MoU at UOP.
The representatives noted that the demand for trained pilots would increase considerably in view of the growing aviation industry, adding that the onsite training of UOP students in Germany will also involve soft skills, ground studies and team building activities.
In order to facilitate visas and work permits for the UOP students, FFL has approached the German embassy in New Delhi to provide earning opportunities for them while pursuing their studies in Germany, the officials said.
Gade said the new M.Tech course will not only involve pilot training but also the engineering aspects to facilitate job opportunities in flying as well as ground engineering and allied services.
The UOP’s affiliation with FFL will add a new dimension to the university’s future vision, he said, adding that the students will be undergoing an extensive 800 hours of flying exercises and will provide a trained manpower to the country’s aviation industry.
The two-year course will cost around €70,000 euro — approximately Rs 55 lakh — in addition to the expenses pertaining to stay in Germany.