Tamil Nadu wants to develop Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district, famous for its tasty ‘kadalai mittai’ (groundnut chikki) and matches, into a training hub for pilots with plans to redevelop an unused air strip and set up a flying training organisation (FTO).

The airstrip was built by Lakshmi Mills for their private plane in an area of 63 hectares leased from the Tamil Nadu government in two villages – Nalatinputhur and Thonugal. It is an unused runway that is about 6 km from Kovilpatti town.

Fillip for aviation sector

A consultant will be appointed soon to prepare a master plan for the project, which will be a major boost for the State in the aviation sector and also address the issue of shortage of pilots.

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), the nodal agency to develop the project, said less air traffic, moderate weather and good visibility and infrastructure at Kovilpatti are conducive for the FTOs.

To cater these FTOs, the Kovilpatti airstrip needs to be reconstructed as per the requirements. To this end, TIDCO invites bidders to submit proposals for preparing a detailed project Rreport (DPR) and RFP to selec contractor for the development of the Kovilpatti airstrip.

The asphalt-topped runway is 1.2 km in length and 15 m wide. It had suffered wear and tear due to weather over the last 20 years. This unused airstrip can accommodate operations of around ten trainer aeroplanes.

In 2010, about 79 million people travelled to/from/or within India. By 2017, that doubled to 158 million. The International Air Transport Association estimates that India will experience 300 million passengers’ departures through 6 million aircrafts by 2030. This is expected to reach 520 million by 2037. The air cargo handled reached 3.56 million tonnes (mt) in 2017 and is expected to cross 11.4 mt by 2032.

Shortage in pilots

According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, the pilot strength in the country in 2017 stood at about 8,000 and is estimated to reach about 22,000 by 2028. Considering retirement and migration of pilots, demand over this decade is expected to be about 18,000.

Due to the lack of infrastructure in the country for training pilots., the number of FTOs is less The current supply of trained pilots stands at about 600 per year and the gap is further bridged by pilots who are trained in foreign countries.

As of December 2022, there are 35 FTOs operating in over 50 bases as approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. However, none in Tamil Nadu.

If a FTO comes up in Kovilpatti, it could revive flying training in the State. Hyderabad-based Hercules Aviation had plans to develop an FTO at Salem but shifted to Latur airport in Maharashtra due to ‘technical’ reasons, said a company official. Similarly, the Chennai-based Orient Flight Aviation Academy, which operates an FTO at Mysuru, showed interest in developing an FTO at Ulundurpet but dropped the plan for ‘various’ reasons, said sources.

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