North Andhra Region Is Set To Become A Global Hub For Skilled Manpower In Aviation Sector: Ram Mohan
Educity will make many schools and universities available for students and it will help in training students in the aviation sector
Visakhapatnam: Union Civil Aviation minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between GMR and the MANSAS Trust for establishing India’s first Aviation EduCity in North Andhra is a historic moment for both India and the North Andhra region, which he said is set to become a global hub for skilled manpower in the aviation sector.
The civil aviation minister commended Nara Lokesh for expanding the concept of the aviation university to an EduCity, enabling collaborations with international skill institutions, including those in the United States. He pointed out that the Aviation EduCity will not only meet India’s aviation workforce needs, but also provide talent to the global market.
Ram Mohan Naidu expressed gratitude to Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju’s family for donating 136 acres for the Aviation EduCity project, calling it unparalleled among royal families.
Additionally, the civil aviation minister described GMR Group as a proud product of North Andhra. He committed to completing Aviation EduCity within the 12-month timeline that education minister Lokesh has set. He expressed confidence that EduCity would become a centre for aviation research, innovation and high-end training.
Ram Mohan Naidu described aviation as a futuristic field that requires specialised training. But it is currently facing a shortage of high-quality skill-development centres. He praised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s ability to anticipate global trends in advance, which has shaped the state’s Aviation EduCity.
The Union minister recalled that when Narendra Modi first became Prime Minister, Ashok Gajapathi Raju had served as the Union minister of civil aviation and laid the groundwork for significant reforms in the industry. He underlined that India’s aviation sector is currently the fastest-growing, expanding at an annual rate of 12 per cent.
With 800 aircraft already in operation and orders placed for another 1,700, Ram Mohan Naidu projected that India will soon operate more than 3,000 aircraft for civil aviation.
Given the estimated requirement of 100 jobs per aircraft, Ram Mohan Naidu underlined that the sector will need thousands of skilled professionals, making initiatives like Aviation EduCity essential.
He said the construction of Bhogapuram International Airport is progressing rapidly, with a validation flight expected within a month. Although the project is scheduled for completion in June 2026, he indicated that an earlier inauguration is possible.
Those present at the event included Goa Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju, AP Assembly Speaker Ch. Ayyana Patrudu, AP education minister Nara Lokesh, MLAs Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Aditi Gajapathi Raju, and GMR Group’s G.B.S. Raju.