Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh government has announced that it will establish an integrated Aviation, Aerospace and Defence EduCity near the upcoming Bhogapuram International Airport in Vizianagaram district. The announcement was made on December 16.
Spread over about 136 acres, the GMR-MANSAS Aviation EduCity is aimed at addressing the global and domestic shortage of skilled aviation professionals while positioning the state as a major hub for aviation education, research and training.
According to an official release, the Andhra Pradesh government has signed an MoU for establishing India’s first integrated Aviation, Aerospace and Defence (AAD) EduCity near Bhogapuram International Airport.
The signing of an agreement between GMR Group and the Maharaja Alak Narayana Society of Arts and Science (MANSAS) Trust at the port city was presided over by Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh.
He said that the initiative responds directly to the most pressing constraint facing the aviation sector today – human capital.
The EduCity is being developed as a comprehensive education and industry ecosystem, bringing together international universities, licensing and certification programmes, research and innovation centres, and industry-linked on-the-job training facilities.
As per the release, the project will support training in areas such as pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, air traffic control, airport operations, aerospace design, unmanned aerial systems, artificial intelligence-enabled aviation systems and sustainable aviation technologies.
By providing direct industry exposure through live operational environment, testing facilities and real-time training, the location near the forthcoming Bhogapuram International Airport is expected to enable seamless integration between academia and industry.
According to the government, the project will be developed through a mix of plug-and-play academic infrastructure and build-to-suit campuses to facilitate participation of global universities and industry partners.
MANHAS Trust has provided the land for EduCity, with the government acknowledging the philanthropic contribution towards creating long-term public education infrastructure in the aviation and aerospace sector.
With the state government’s commitment to develop core infrastructure for EduCity within 12 months, the phased onboarding of academic institutions and industry partners will take place thereafter.
