IIT Madras innovation hub partners with ENAC to launch aviation safety training program

IIT Madras-backed IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation has announced a new joint training initiative in Aviation Safety Management in partnership with France’s L’Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile.

The program, supported by Airbus, is aimed at expanding professional training and safety management capabilities within India’s aviation sector, the foundation said in an official statement.

The next cohort of the Aviation Safety Management program is scheduled to start in February 2026, with applications open until Jan 31, 2026. Enrollment for the batch will be limited to about 30 participants.

The program is targeted at professionals from airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, maintenance and repair organizations, aviation training institutes, and civil aviation regulators.

It is designed to train safety managers and specialists in areas such as safety performance monitoring, risk assessment, and organizational safety systems across aviation operations.

Instruction will be delivered by faculty from ENAC, covering technical and operational aspects of aviation safety.

The curriculum also focuses on behavioral and managerial skills, including communication, leadership, decision-making, and building a safety-oriented organizational culture, according to the statement.

The training follows a blended, in-person format spread over two years. During the first year, participants will attend in-person sessions lasting four to five days every two months.

In the second year, in-person training will be conducted for four to five days each month. A six-month project or dissertation is also part of the program.

Organizers said ENAC faculty will travel to India to conduct sessions at the IIT campus.

The structure has been planned to suit working professionals, including mid-level and senior managers from aviation companies and government aviation agencies.

According to the foundation, the initiative responds to rising operational complexity in civil aviation and the need for more structured safety management systems.

The first batch of the program is currently underway, and organizers said participant feedback has been positive.

Commenting on the launch, the chief executive officer of IITM Pravartak said aviation safety depends on professionals who combine technical knowledge with sound operational judgment, and that the program seeks to build these capabilities across the industry, the statement said.

IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation operates as a Section 8 company and hosts a Technology Innovation Hub under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems.

Supported by the Government of India and hosted at IIT Madras, the hub works in areas including sensors, networking, actuators, and control systems.

With ENAC and industry partners on board, the foundation said the Aviation Safety Management program is positioned as a structured training route for professionals seeking to strengthen safety practices in India’s rapidly growing aviation sector.