IndiGo partners with New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy for its flagship cadet pilot program

IndiGo has awarded the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy (NZICPA) a pilot training contract to train future airline pilots under IndiGo’s flagship ‘cadet pilot program’. The partnership will overlook the living and training of these cadets in New Zealand.

Upon signing the agreement with NZICPA, Capt. Ashim Mittra, Senior Vice President Flight Operations, expressed his pleasure and said: “Our partnership with NZICPA is a testimony to our commitment to establish a steady flow of confident & skilled, internationally trained airline pilots over the foreseeable future”.

According to Mr. Phillip Bedford, NZICPA CEO, this contract is a great achievement for New Zealand Aviation, “To be selected by India’s leading airline, an extremely discerning partner, was recognition of the high standards of aviation training in New Zealand”.

The first group of students will begin the Wanganui, New Zealand based component of the cadet program in January 2020, where they will live in a campus environment. Prior to moving to NZ, the applicants will be shortlisted through an extensive pilot selection process in India including a final approval from IndiGo. After training in New Zealand, the cadets will return to India for flight license conversion of the New Zealand Commercial Pilot License and then proceed for Airbus A320 type rating training, before beginning line-training with IndiGo. The Indian license conversion part of the training will be conducted in partnership with Flightrule Aviation Services, a professionally aligned pilot recruitment, training and management office headquartered in Delhi.

Captain Rahul Monga, CEO, Flightrule, welcomed the partnership agreement and thinks of the initiative as a step forward for aviation in India and said that “The Flightrule India footprint is integral to the program as it adds quality and brand alignment across the entire program”.