Calcutta will start producing commercial pilots after more than a decade, with a private operator being given the green signal to operate a training institute at Behala Flying Club.

A part of the hangar owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the club has been given to the Camellia group on rent for a year to start the institute.

The last pilot earned his spurs from the Behala Flying Club way back in 1994.

Of the two hangars at the club, one has been given on a long-duration lease to the state government. A part of the second hangar is on lease to National Cadet Corps, while the rest has been handed over to the Camellia group’s Manpower Management Private Ltd. The group runs heavy aircraft maintenance engineering and cabin crew training institutes in the city.

“The decision has been taken to promote some activities at the club,” said S.P.S. Bakshi, AAI executive director, eastern region.

The Camellia group has got the necessary approvals for the flying club institute from the AAI, Air Traffic Control, Calcutta airport and the directorate-general of civil aviation, which has allowed flight operations up to 1,000 ft.

The group is procuring four Cessna aircraft from the US, a P68C twin-engine from Bangalore and a Simulator from Switzerland.

“The planes will be delivered by January next year,” said N.R. Dutta, chairman-cum-managing director of the group.

“Talks were on for the past year. We plan to start full-fledged operations in two months,” Dutta added.

The company has asked the AAI to renovate the Behala runway at the earliest. “Taking off or landing could prove difficult during monsoon,” Dutta pointed out.

Sources in the civil aviation ministry said 300 more aircraft will fly in the Indian skies in another four years. With new airlines starting operations from various cities, there will be a need for 2,500 additional pilots by 2010.

“The number of pilots being produced now is inadequate,” said an official.