'Skilled manpower is the bottleneck': Andhra to set up India's first aviation EduCity

The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced that it will set up India’s first integrated Aviation, Aerospace and Defence (AAD) EduCity near the upcoming Bhogapuram International Airport. 

The project, called the GMR–MANSAS Aviation EduCity, will be spread across around 136 acres and aims to tackle the growing shortage of skilled aviation professionals in India and abroad.

The announcement was made during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the GMR Group and the MANSAS Trust in Visakhapatnam. 

Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the initiative focuses on solving one of the aviation sector’s biggest challenges - lack of skilled manpower. "India's aviation story is one of scale and speed, but the real bottleneck is skilled manpower. The GMR–MANSAS Aviation EduCity is our response to that challenge-creating a world-class ecosystem that integrates education, research, industry, and on-the-job training," he said.

India’s aviation sector is growing rapidly, with passenger traffic expected to reach 700 million annually across 200 airports. The country’s aircraft fleet is also projected to double to nearly 1,700 aircraft by 2030. At the same time, India’s aerospace and defence market is expected to grow from $28.7 billion in 2024 to $57 billion by 2034.

However, the fast growth has created a serious skills gap, an official statement said. Industry estimates show shortages of 12–15% in trained pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs), air traffic controllers (ATC), safety experts and airport operations staff. India currently produces only about 8,000 aerospace engineers each year, which is less than 0.5% of total engineering graduates.

The Bhogapuram EduCity is planned as a long-term solution to this problem. Unlike regular universities or training institutes, it will function as a fully integrated education and industry hub.

The EduCity will include international branch campuses, globally reputed universities, certification programmes aligned with DGCA and global standards, advanced research centres, startup incubation facilities, and residential infrastructure. Areas of focus will include aerospace design, artificial intelligence in aviation, drones, sustainable aviation and safety systems.

Its location near Bhogapuram International Airport is seen as a major advantage. Airport proximity is expected to allow students to get real-time on-the-job training and practical exposure, similar to global models like Dubai International Academic City and Aerospace Valley in France.

Minister Nara Lokesh said the state aims to play a global role in aviation talent development. "This is not about creating another university. It is about building an ecosystem that supplies job-ready professionals, cutting-edge research and globally benchmarked skills," he said. He added that the vision is to ensure that at least 25% of the global civil aviation workforce is Telugu, while also meeting India's growing needs.

The EduCity will offer training across the entire talent pipeline, including aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers, airport operations, and advanced specialisations in areas such as sustainable aviation fuels, AI, cybersecurity, UAV systems and advanced air mobility.

The Andhra government said core infrastructure for the EduCity will be developed within 12 months, with global universities and industry partners joining in phases.