India’s flying training organisations need reset

In recent times, it seems as if air disasters in the country have been vying for national attention.

- Anjuli Bhargava

The crash near Ranchi on Monday that killed seven on board came just weeks after the one in Baramati in which all on board, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, died. Amid all this, the AII7I crash from June 2025 lies forgotten by most, except for perhaps the victims’ families and the handful of parties with stakes in the investigation outcome.

The last several weeks have seen several incidents involving India’s flying training organisations (FTOs) and smaller trainer-aircraft. These escaped attention given there were no fatalities. In January itself, an India One Air Cessna Grand C208B aircraft with six on board crash landed in Odisha’s Rourkela— thankfully, there were no fatalities. And earlier this month, a Cessna 172 trainer aircraft aged more than 50 years, operated by the Redbird Flight Training Academy, made a forced landing in Karnataka due to inadequate fuel. The academy is a repeat offender: In 2023, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) had indefinitely suspended flying training activities at all bases of the academy after it reported two crashes within four days.