In a major policy decision, Maharashtra Government has approved transfer of the entire management of the Nagpur Flying Club (NFC), along with its assets, liabilities, existing trainee pilots, pilots and other associated matters, to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) on “as it is” basis. According to the Government communication addressed to the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of MADC, the State Government has decided that the entire management of Nagpur Flying Club, along with all its assets, liabilities, existing trainees, pilots and other matters, should be transferred to MADC “as it is”. The Government has directed the Chairperson of Nagpur Flying Club and Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur, along with the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of MADC, to take further appropriate action regarding the transfer and submit a detailed proposal to the State Government. A comprehensive decision on the modalities of the transfer will subsequently be taken at the Government level. The Government decision follows a detailed proposal submitted by the Nagpur Flying Club to the Additional Chief Secretary, Civil Aviation, on July 2, 2026.

 

The proposal had pointed out that the Club's operations had expanded considerably and that its existing management structure, largely dependent on Government officers holding additional charge, was proving increasingly difficult to sustain. Established in 1947, Nagpur Flying Club is one of the State's important pilot-training institutions. It was set up with the objective of providing pilot training, developing aviation manpower and contributing to the growth of the aviation sector in Maharashtra. The Club had faced financial, technical and administrative difficulties at different stages. The State Government began extending financial assistance to it from 1981-82, while its management was completely taken over by the Government in 1990. However, shortage of technical manpower, rising aircraft maintenance costs, difficulty in procuring spare parts and other operational problems resulted in flying training activities being discontinued in 1994-95. Following directions of the Bombay High Court, the Club was revived through a Government Resolution dated December 21, 2006. It was subsequently incorporated as a company under the Companies Act, 1956, with a Board of Directors headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur.

 

After another period of disruption caused by shortage of technical manpower, the Club resumed regular operations following the appointment of a Deputy Chief Flying Instructor in March 2021. The Club is currently imparting flying training to around 40 trainee pilots. It presently has four training aircraft. However, two of them are nearly four decades old. Since production of these aircraft models has been discontinued, obtaining spare parts has become increasingly difficult, making maintenance both expensive and time-consuming. The Club has already submitted a proposal to the Government for procurement of new training aircraft. With Nagpur Airport handling growing international and domestic commercial air traffic, the availability of flying slots for the Club has become increasingly restricted. To overcome this problem, the Club established an independent operational training base at Chandrapur (Morwa). In its July 2 proposal, the Club had suggested two policy options.

 

The first was to transfer the entire management of the Club to a competent Government organisation working in the aviation sector, such as MADC, MIHAN or another suitable State agency, along with its assets, liabilities and existing trainee pilots on an “as is” basis. The second option was to adopt a suitable model such as privatisation, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or Joint Venture (JV) to ensure professional management, capital investment, modern technology, technical expertise and future expansion. The Government has now opted for the first route, with MADC being identified as the organisation to which the Club will be transferred. The Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur, in the capacity of Chairperson of Nagpur Flying Club, and the Managing Director of MADC have been asked to work out the necessary modalities and submit a detailed proposal to the Government.