Training at Thiruvananthapuram flying academy to be further delayed

Thiruvananthapuram: New Year plans to resume flying training at Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology (RAGAAT) will not become a reality. The academy staff had planned to begin the flying training from first week of January, but, the training is likely to begin from next month only.

The delay in obtaining airport entry permit for the new chief flying instructor (CFI) is the latest hurdle to restart the flying training at the academy. There had been no flying training in the academy for the past six months, due to absence of CFI.
According to academy authorities, the CFI needs to attend a mandatory aviation security (AVSEC) training and clear the examination to receive the airport entry permit.
“The procedure for obtaining airport entry permit for three months or for one year is a long process. So, we had applied for one-month airport entry permit for the CFI Captain N Mallikarjun, but, we were informed that he needs to attend the aviation security class to receive the permit. The norms for airport entry permit were made stringent recently,” said Gopakumar R L, secretary of RAGAAT.
15/01/18 Times of India