Sakthi Aircraft Industry, a joint venture between India's Sakthi Group and Austria's Diamond Aircraft, will manufacture more than 100 trainer planes indigenously for Aero Club of India, which has pooled the aircraft orders of various Flying Training Organisations (FTOs). 

In this regard, Coimbatore-headquartered Sakthi Group's Sakthi Aircraft Industry inked a pact on Tuesday with Aero Club of India to manufacture the trainer planes. The MoU was signed between the two entities at a ceremony held in Delhi. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, President of Aero Club of India and Manickam, Chairman, Sakthi Group exchanged the MoU in the presence of Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu.

While the deal is for having 200 trainer DA40 NG planes, 150 aircrafts will be assembled at Sakthi Aircraft Industry's planned facility (probably in Haryana) and 50 aircrafts will be imported from Diamond Aircraft's facilities in Austria and Canada according to a report. 

Speaking at the event, Manickam, Chairman of Sakthi Group said that this occasion has brought together two seasoned institutions to bring modern trainer aircrafts to the Indian pilots, train them and make them comfortable with the latest technology.

"We (Sakthi Aircraft Industry) have given an assurance that no aircraft that we supply will be off the air by more than 4 hours. We will have parts and people stationed at various locations and make sure that these aircrafts are serviceable at any given time. There will be enough parts available and we will be assembling these aircrafts in India,: he said.

Just like the Vehicle Off the Road (VoR) policy followed in Automotive Industry, Sakthi will do the same in aircraft sector too. If there is a VoR situation, the assembly line will be stopped and the parts will be diverted to get the vehicle running. The same will be implemented here too according to Manickam.

"We will be diverting the parts even from assembly, if necessary, to make sure the aircrafts are always in the air. This is the promise we want to make", he added.

Sakthi Aircraft Industry hopes to start production by May or June of this year and deliver 60 aircrafts this year and ramp up to about 100 aircrafts from next year on.