Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh coalition government has initiated the development of India’s first dedicated Aviation, Aerospace, and Defence (AAD) Education City, taking a significant step toward building a national talent and innovation hub for the fast-growing strategic sector.

Minister for IT and HRD Nara Lokesh will formally launch the ‘GMR Mansa’s Edn City Project’ at a programme scheduled to be held here on Tuesday. The project will be developed near the upcoming Bhogapuram International Airport in Vizianagaram district.

Planned as an integrated education and innovation ecosystem, the AAD Education City will focus exclusively on aviation, aerospace, and defence disciplines.

Spread across 160 acres, the project is envisioned as the country’s first such hub combining higher education, advanced research, industry collaboration, and residential infrastructure in a single campus.

According to officials, the Education City will host international branch campuses of globally reputed universities, along with specialised research and innovation centres focused on applied technologies relevant to the AAD sector. The campus will also include incubation and prototyping facilities to promote collaboration between academia, startups, and industry players. Residential, social, and support infrastructure will be developed to create a self-sustaining academic and innovation ecosystem.

The initiative is aligned with key national priorities, including the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), National Education Policy 2020, Make in India, and the Defence Corridor programme. The government aims to position Andhra Pradesh, and India, as a global destination for aviation and aerospace education, research, and skill development.

The move comes amid rapid growth in India’s aviation and defence sectors. Passenger traffic across nearly 200 airports in the country is estimated to reach 700 million, with projections indicating a sharp rise to 1.7 billion passengers by 2030. The aerospace and defence market is also expected to nearly double in value, from $28.7 billion in 2024 to $57 billion by 2034.

Despite this expansion, India continues to face a significant skill gap in aviation and allied sectors.

Industry estimates indicate shortages of 12–15 per cent in trained pilots, along with deficits in Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, aviation safety professionals, and specialists in emerging areas such as aerospace design, sustainable aviation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and space technologies.

Currently, only around 8,000 aerospace engineers graduate annually, accounting for just 0.5 per cent of the country’s engineering graduates. The proposed Education City is expected to address these gaps by creating a steady pipeline of skilled professionals and fostering innovation across the aviation, aerospace, and defence value chain.