In recent years, the aviation industry in India has witnessed rapid expansion and growth. As many as seven major Indian airlines and several smaller airlines with a fleet of over 400 aircraft carry nearly 100 million passengers annually on scheduled services. Apart from this, there are as many as 500 private aircraft operating as non-scheduled and charter services in India.
All aircraft registered in India and operated by Indian airlines are required to be maintained to the highest standards as laid down by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). DGCA is part of the Govt. of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and is responsible for ensuring all aspects of safety in aircraft operations in India.
The regulations of DGCA require that every aircraft undergo a maintenance check and be certified as being fit to fly before each and every flight takes off. Additionally, aircraft are required to undergo regular maintenance checks on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual schedule depending on the aircraft type and the hours flown. Such maintenance checks and certification needs to be undertaken only by an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) approved and licensed by DGCA. In order to obtain a license from DGCA, an aspiring engineer is required to pass a series of examinations.
The School for Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (SAME) duly approved by the DGCA, aims to provide such aspiring engineers with the necessary education, including classroom training, practical knowledge, skill development and on-the-job-training that would enable them to successfully clear the examinations conducted by the DGCA, and/or to obtain employment in the aviation industry.
