Skyborne is celebrating 48 cadets who have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to train as part of the Cadet Pilot Programme of IndiGo – India’s preferred airline, and one of the fastest growing carriers in the world.
The aspiring pilots will begin the programme at Skyborne’s new ground school in Delhi, India, before heading to the academy’s purpose-built 12-acre campus in Vero Beach, Florida, U.S., for 12 months of flight training. Following this, cadets return to India for license conversion and type rating, and upon successful completion, take up positions as A320 Junior First Officers with IndiGo.
Rina Basu, Regional Director (Asia Pacific), Skyborne, says: “The success of the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme at Skyborne is testament to our commitment to producing airline-ready pilots. Every year, we are impressed by the quality and talent of our cadets who reflect the high standards we uphold. With another record intake, of which 27% are women, we are also proud to continue raising the benchmark for diversity within the flight deck, while supporting IndiGo to meet rising workforce demand.”
Lee Woodward, CEO, Skyborne, adds: “India’s aviation industry has seen significant growth this past year alone. With the country’s commercial fleet projected to triple by 2035*, now is an important time to pursue an airline career. As our partnership with IndiGo reaches its seventh year, it’s incredibly rewarding to have seen more than 130 cadets train with us and join India’s preferred airline.”
Held at Hotel Fortune Select Global in Gurgaon, India, the 48 cadets who have signed a LoI to join the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme make it the largest intake at Skyborne since its partnership began in 2019. To date, more than 360 cadets have enrolled at Skyborne.
Priyanshi Dhiraj Anawadia, IndiGo cadet, says: “Seeing an aircraft takeoff and knowing the skill and precision involved fascinated me, and over time, this turned into a genuine desire to become a pilot. Skyborne’s reputation as one of the leading flight training academies in the U.S. makes me excited to begin this journey there, learn from the best, grow with every experience, and take my first real steps towards becoming a pilot with IndiGo.”
Applications are open for the IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme with Skyborne. For more information, visit: skyborne.com/in/skyborne-indigo-programme/
*India’s commercial aircraft fleet will triple in size to 2,250 aircraft over the next decade, as the country grows to become the third-largest civil aviation market in the world by 2035: airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-01-indian-aircraft-fleet-to-reach-2250-by-2035-mro-market-to-hit-us95-billion
