Kingfisher Airlines opened a training institute in Calcutta on Tuesday, a day after it announced grounding of flights to Port Blair and Chennai from the city because of “low passenger load”.

Kingfisher Training Academy, which will have campuses on Camac Street and in Salt Lake, will offer a six-month course in aviation and a one-year programme in hotel management.

“We should be able to train about 800 students in Calcutta over the next year,” said Rajesh Verma, the chief mentor of the Academy and executive vice-president of Kingfisher Airlines.

The basic eligibility for admission, which opens on Wednesday, is 10+2. “A candidate’s communication skills and personal attributes will be the decisive factors in the selection process,” said an official.

The institute will focus on both classroom studies and professional exposure. “Classroom studies can be supported with online research. The students can write their tests online, at their convenience,” said Kunal Vasudeva, the head of business development and projects, Kingfisher Training Academy.

The fee for the aviation course is Rs 1,00,000 and hotel management, Rs 1,25,000. The institute has tie-ups with banks for education loans.

Asked why Calcutta has been chosen for the second venture of the institute, the first being in Mumbai, Verma said: “The city has one of the top five business airports in the country. The revamp of the airport will bring in more airlines. Besides, the Northeast, which is linked to Calcutta by road, is inclined to new-age careers like aviation and hospitality.”

On job opportunities in the aviation sector, Verma said: “There will be a need for nearly 15,000 to 20,000 additional crew in the next three-four years. It is not a short-lived profession. Managerial jobs can be handled after one is too old to be cabin crew.”

The institute is also planning to open campuses in Bangalore, Guwahati, Pune, Ahmedabad and other cities.