The new joint venture company will set up a modern aviation academy at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad by January 2009. The academy will offer complete training packages for aviation related activities covering pilot and cabin crew training, engine engineers, technicians and aviation consultants. Training for airport operations staff such as passengers and ramp services agents will also be provided, thus bridging the demand-supply gap in these areas.

More than 80 million Euros (Rs 450 crore) will be invested over the next three years covering infrastructure including accommodation for more than 200 trainees per year, six full flight simulators, cabin trainers and engineering tooling.

The partnership between both companies is based on the expertise of Sabena Flight Academy and associated partners such as CFM, Sabena Technics and Flight Care and on the strong market position of GMR group in India.

To contribute to the growing training requirements in the Asian aviation sector, the new company will offer the entire spectrum of training services in a unique aviation center ideally located in Hyderabad catering to the Indian as well as the foreign market.

Mr. T. Srinagesh, COO - GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited said, "It is our vision of the airport that it should catalyze an aviation cluster at Hyderabad and accelerate the economic development and employment generation in the State. Towards this, our partnership with Sabena Flight Academy would be the key element by training skilled people, like pilots, cabin crew etc besides meeting the needs of our booming aviation industry."

"We are extremely proud of being selected by the GMR group for establishing a state-of-the-art aviation academy in India at the new international airport in Hyderabad. We are looking forward to provide high standard training with a strong accent on flight safety based on our more than sixty years experience," said Mr. Jack Waldeyer, President and CEO of Sabena Flight Academy.

About Sabena Flight Academy:

Sabena Flight Academy (SFA) is one of Europe's oldest and most respected Pilot Training Academies. After providing Sabena Airlines with world class pilots for more than 60 years, SFA has become an independent training centre operating in 4 continents and training more than 300 cadre pilots every year. SFA is a JAR and JAA approved Flight Training Organisation (FTO) performing cadet training, advanced training, medical services, aviation consulting and high-tech simulation development. These services are customer oriented for airlines and self-sponsored candidates. The European (Brussels-based) simulator centre currently operates Airbus 320, 330, 340 and Boeing 737 AG and NG Full Flight Simulators for more than 60 airlines worldwide.

The Arizona-based Flight Training Centre currently operates a fleet of 38 state-of-the-art aircraft including a VLJ Eclipse and performs more than 130 flights a day. Excellent weather conditions, a professional organization akin to an airline, top instructors, student administrators and our own in-house maintenance team are just a few of SFA's key features which enable our customers to have the highest quality training in the most optimal conditions.

GMR-HIAL is a joint venture company promoted by GMR Infrastructure (63 %); Malaysian Airports Holding Berhad (11 %), Airports Authority of India (13 %) and Government of Andhra Pradesh (13 %), with a mandate to develop a world-class international grade airport spread over 5,500 acres in Shamshabad, about 25 kms from the main city of Hyderabad.

The airport is being designed to handle 12 million passengers per annum with a total project cost of Rs. 2478 crore in the first phase scheduled to be commissioned in March 2008.

This project - Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - is set to position Hyderabad as a prominent player in the global aviation map contributing to the prosperity, development and economic well-being of the region.