At a simple summer break at Hardelot, a beach resort near Boulogne in Northern France, little did JRD Tata know that watching the famous aviator Louis Bleirot’s early flights would spark his passion for flying. It all started with a joy ride in an airplane at the age of 15. In 1929, JRD became one of the first Indians to be granted a commercial pilot's license, and the rest is history.

The Air India Aviation Academy for children at KidZania in Noida and Mumbai are also trying to do just that – inspire children to dream about a career in aviation. At the Academy, children can step into the roles of pilots and cabin crew aboard a model aircraft and understand the nuances of a career as a pilot and cabin crew in the aviation industry. For instance, the real-life roles of cockpit and cabin crew go beyond what meets the eye: they undergo robust training to ensure they are prepared at all times to face a wide variety of situations including medical emergencies. 

Making learning fun

Children can experience the model of Air India’s fleet donning the airline’s bold new branding, colours, and livery along with other facilities. The experience centre has features such as a selfie point with the Air India aircraft in the backdrop, a section on the history of Air India – the country’s flag carrier, and insights into Air India’s new aircraft fleet and destinations.

At the entrance, children can get an insight into the real world of aviation via a live flight tracker display that will display real-time information on aircraft flying to various parts of the world. There are also interactive role-playing activities. This ideal combination of learning and entertainment enables them to enhance their knowledge about the aviation industry in an engaging manner.

Nurturing the aviation leaders of tomorrow

The idea is to cultivate a new generation of aviation enthusiasts and professionals by providing an interactive platform while building and strengthening psychomotor, cognitive, emotional, and social skills among children. The newly established Air India Academy has been a welcome addition at KidZania that has been appreciated by children and parents alike. 

One of the children expresses, “It was a fun-filled experience, and my favourite part was landing. I chose to be a pilot as I would love to fly the plane when I grow up.” A parent opines, “Our kids really enjoyed the newly established Air India Academy. The fact that the girls answered the questions themselves shows how intrigued they were, and I am sure they will take home useful learnings from this. The film on India was outstanding as it represents our country in all its glory.”

Interestingly, an increasing number of girls are opting to play the pilot’s role, which reflects a heightened interest and awareness at an early age. That augurs well for Air India, where over 15% of pilots are women, which is three times the global average. The interest shown by young girls at the Academy have the potential to positively contribute to these statistics in the future.

A first in India, this initiative highlights Air India’s commitment to nurturing future talent and KidZania’s dedication to immersive educational experiences as well as inculcating values of responsibility, solidarity, sensitivity, harmony, courage, self-confidence and professional ethics among children.