Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology

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Not to be confused with Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University.

Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology
Other name
RAGAAT
Former name
Kerala Flying Club
Kerala Aviation Training Centre
Motto"Rule the sky, lead the world"
TypeState-owned
Established14 July 1959; 66 years ago (1959-07-14)
FounderG. V. Raja
AccreditationDirectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
ChairmanPinarayi Vijayan
Executive vice-chairmanV. Thulasidas (former)
Address
Chacka
,
Thiruvananthapuram
,
Kerala
,
695007
,
India

8°29′23″N 76°54′58″E / 8.489599°N 76.916024°E / 8.489599; 76.916024
CampusRural
WebsiteOfficial website
Map

Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology (RAGAAT) is a state-owned pilot training institute run by the Government of Kerala, India. It is situated at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Originally founded as Kerala Flying Club, a private flying club in 1959 by G. V. Raja, it was bought by the state government in 1981. In 2006, the institute was approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as a Flying Training Organisation (FTO). As of 2022, RAGAAT is the only pilot training institute in Kerala and one among the 34 FTOs in India. The institute has both single and twin-engine aircraft.

History

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It was originally founded as Kerala Flying Club, a private flying club by G. V. Raja on 14 July 1959, registered under Companies Act, 1956. It produced trained pilots and flight engineers.[1] Some of the aircraft that was part of Kerala Flying Club's inventory was HAL HT-2, Stinson L-5 Sentinel, HAL Pushpak, de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, Douglas C-47 Skytrain. The flying club was briefly closed in 1967.[2] Its name was changed to Kerala Aviation Training Centre (KATC) in 1980. In 1981, the Government of Kerala bought the institute to its direct control. In 2006, after the approval of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) it was rechristened as Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology, registered under Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955.[citation needed]

Achievements and recognition

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In October 2025, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released its first-ever national ranking of Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) in India.[3] In this ranking, the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology (RAGAAT) was placed in **Category B**, recognising its consistent standards in training quality, safety, and student support. Other institutions in the same category included the Nagpur Flying Club, the National Flying Training Institute (NFTI), and the Banasthali Vidyapith Gliding and Flying Club.[3] The DGCA’s evaluation covered 35 approved FTOs across India, measuring operational safety, infrastructure, instructor quality, and compliance standards. RAGAAT, operating under the Government of Kerala at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, was commended for maintaining high standards despite challenging airspace and weather conditions.

Campus

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The campus is situated within the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport compound. The institute also has an off-campus centre at the Kannur International Airport.[4] RAGAAT is the only Flying Training Organisation (FTO) in Kerala approved by the DGCA.[5] It is also the only pilot training institute in Kerala.[6]

As of 2019, the institute has four single-engine Cessna 172 aircraft, with two having a glass cockpit, and additionally a twin-engine Piper Seneca V for advanced training.[1][7] Among the total of five aircraft, a U. S.-made Cessna 172-R bought in 2014 cost ₹1.7 crore and another U. S.-made six-seat Piper Seneca V bought in the same year cost ₹6 crore. The academy has its own hangar, built at ₹4 crore, near the aircraft maintenance base at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, which can accommodate up to 10 trainer aircraft.[6] The commercial pilot licence (CPL) trainees will be given additional class in twin-engine aircraft as an add-on.[8]

In 2012, the government began construction of a new building complex for the academy inside the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport after the old one, including a hangar, was demolished for allocating space for construction of a new terminal and an Air India engineering base. Classes were then held outside the airport in a rented building and a temporary hangar in the airport. The government allotted 2.71 acres of land to the academy, to be built near the Air India Hangar.[9]

In March 2016, the then UDF-led Government of Kerala launched an air ambulance service exclusively for speedy organ transplantation transportation using the twin-engine aircraft of the academy, an MoU was signed between RAGAAT and the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing. However, in July that year, the newly elect LDF-led government decommissioned the project, citing that it was not cost effective or viable.[10]

In 2018, the academy began cross-country flying to Kannur International Airport, until then, they used to fly to Madurai Airport, Mangalore International Airport or Calicut International Airport for cross-country flight training.[11] In 2019, RAAGAT began admitting students from other flying schools for flying training when students from their own batch are undergoing ground training.[12] The academy also opened an off-campus centre at the Kannur International Airport in 2019. The first flight was flagged off by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.[4]

Courses

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Controversies

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In 2016, a trainee at the institution alleged that he faced casteist slurs and physical assault from a trainer.[13]In 2022, a female trainee accused Chief Flying Instructor K. T. Rajendran of sexual harassment during a training flight.[14][15] The academy’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) later concluded that the complaint was “baseless, false and made with ulterior motive,” and recommended counselling for the trainee.[16] In October 2022, the Kerala High Court set aside the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security’s order recalling Rajendran’s Airport Entry Permit, describing the action as “arbitrary, unreasonable, and violative” of constitutional rights.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Nagarajan, Saraswathy (10 May 2019). "Alumni of 60-year-old flying club in Thiruvananthapuram plan to chart a new flight path for the institution". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  2. ^ Sankar, Dr. Achuth; Sankar, Adithya (15 April 2021). VANCHIYOOR VIGNETTES: Local History of a Bygone Village. Adithya Sankar. p. 164. ISBN 978-93-5426-581-5. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b "DGCA releases first ranking of flying schools; none achieve top grade". Business Standard. 1 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b Ramjith, N. P. C. (11 December 2019). "Get ready to study aviation at Kannur airport". Onmanorama. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  5. ^ Express News Service (30 September 2019). "Stringent norms in place for drone operation". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b Radhakrishnan, S. Anil (10 March 2015). "New option for pilot trainees". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  7. ^ Abraham, Leena (28 May 2019). "Uyare effect, girls make beeline to flying school". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  8. ^ S., Anasooya (20 May 2019). "RAGAAT to offer flight training in twin-engine aircraft". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  9. ^ Times News Network (28 March 2012). "Rajiv Gandhi aviation academy to get new building soon". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  10. ^ G., Rajiv (21 July 2016). "Financial troubles ground govt air ambulance project". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  11. ^ Times News Network (9 December 2018). "Trainer aircraft land at Kannur". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  12. ^ S., Anasooya (15 September 2019). "Ragaat to admit students from other flying schools". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  13. ^ "'Trainer hit me on the face, injuring my eyes,' Trainee pilot approaches Kerala govt". The News Minute. 6 March 2016.
  14. ^ "No action on sexual harassment complaint, student takes off from aviation school". The New Indian Express. 22 May 2022.
  15. ^ The Times of India. 24 May 2022 panel seeks report from aviation academy https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/womens-panel-seeks-report-from-aviation-academy/articleshow/91775572.cmstitle=Women's panel seeks report from aviation academy. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "K. T. Rajendran v. Director General, WP(C) No. 31073 of 2022 (Judgment PDF)" (PDF). LawTrend. 14 October 2022.
  17. ^ "K. T. Rajendran v. Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security". Kerala High Court. 14 October 2022.
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