Flying hours are the bottleneck of pilot training. Ground classes can happen any day; flying needs an aircraft, an instructor and the weather to line up. The number of aircraft a school has, and how many of them are actually flying, decides how long your course takes.
The national picture
Adding up the fleets DGCA records in its list of approved FTOs (2 December 2024), India’s flight schools list 271 single-engine and 41 multi-engine aircraft. Three schools do not have a fleet stated.
The largest fleets
- Redbird Flight Training Academy: 38 single-engine, 4 multi-engine, five bases. DGCA Category C.
- Chimes Aviation Academy: 20 and 3. Category B.
- Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi: 13 and 2. Category B.
- National Flying Training Institute: 12 and 2. Category B.
- FSTC Flying School: 11 and 1. Category B.
- Garg Aviation: 10 and 2. Category B.
A large fleet does not guarantee a high ranking, and a small school with well-maintained aircraft and few students can fly more hours per student than a large crowded one.
Why multi-engine matters
Part of commercial pilot training is usually done on a multi-engine aircraft. Twenty-five schools list at least one. If a school has only one or two twins, ask how long students wait for multi-engine slots.
Questions to ask
- How many aircraft are serviceable today, not just on the list?
- How many students are flying right now?
- Average hours flown per student last month?
- How long is the wait for multi-engine training?
Compare schools in our flight school directory, and read how to choose a DGCA flight school.
Common questions
Which flight school in India has the most aircraft?
Redbird Flight Training Academy lists the largest fleet in DGCA’s list: 38 single-engine and 4 multi-engine aircraft across five bases.
How many training aircraft do Indian flight schools have?
DGCA’s list of approved FTOs records 271 single-engine and 41 multi-engine aircraft in total.
Does a bigger fleet mean faster training?
Not always. What matters is serviceable aircraft per student and instructors available. Ask for hours flown per student per month.
Sources
- DGCA ranking of Flying Training Organizations (April 2026)
- PIB, 24 April 2026: second phase of FTO ranking
General information, checked against the sources above on the date published. It is not legal, regulatory or medical advice. Rules change, so confirm with DGCA or the relevant authority before acting.