Is this India's Embry Riddle Aeronautical University?

On 03rd of March 2024, the Hon'ble PM of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the country's first ever Civil Aviation Research Organisation (CARO) in Begumpet, Telengana. The ? 400 Crore project boasts of world class research facility for civil aviation in the country.

While there are multiple Govt/ Govt aided aviation research and development organisations such as the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited , the National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore and the Aeronautical Development Agency etc exist in the country already, what was the need to set up an independent institue for research in the field of civil aviation?

The answer lies in the question itself - Civil Aviation. The prestigious aviation/ aeronautical research organisations that exist at present are primarily focussed in developing the defence aviation and related tech in the country. Though these organizations are also running projects that could mean useful to the civil aviation as well, it is to be understood that Civil Aviation is not just about flying or aircraft alone.

The term civil aviation extends beyond the scope of just aircraft and a few deliverables for them. Civil Aviation is an entity which comprises from the smallest of the aircraft to the largest, the airfields and their pavements, Tech used in various sub-fields of passeneger and cargo travel such passeneger screening technology, baggage screening, baggage movement control, immigration process etc. These are areas which play a very crucial part in a streamlined civil aviation sector.

Also, the pavement research technology in India is probably at a very nascent stage in terms of airfield pavements. The pavements in an airfield are suppossed to be contructed in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization in its Annexes and Docs such as Annex 14, Doc 9157 etc. As of now, there is no specialized agency in the country which could oversee the pavement construction techniques and the projects that are being undertaken at various airports. The Central Road Research Institute (crri) is the only organisation that hold credible research setup for pavements, however, they aren't fully specialised in airfield pavements. IITs are a good alternative for this but again they could be good alternatives and not the prime source of aviation knowledge or information database. Most often it is up to the airport companies such as GMR Group or the Adani Airport Holdings Ltd to have an independent team to monitor the quality of their construction works.

With the establishment of a dedicated Civil Aviation Research Organisation, we could proudly say that the country is achieving one more milestone in terms of having an independent research establishment for the civil aviation sector. This could mean a complete transformation of India's Civil Aviation sector. Now Indian companies such airlines, airports, small aviation tech startups and other related civil aviation entities need not look beyond the borders of India for expertise. In due course, this state-of-the-art facility could very well give us the latest tech, upgrades to our existing systems, mentoring to new-age aviation startups and proper guidance to the civil aviation sector of India.

Out of all the benefits that we just discussed I am specifically interested in a few.

1. Indepenedent research support and facility for airfield pavements and airport infrastructure thereby able to develop better and advance airport facilities and pavements.
2. Mentoring and research assistance for aviation startups including startups that wish to enter the airport infrastructure facility such as screening, passenger experience enhancing tech, digi yatra etc.
3. Enhanced research in terms of airspace managment thereby ensuring optimal utilisation of the Indian airspace (in addition to the Flexible use of airspace that was recently adopted and implemented by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation - India , Airports Authority of India , Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy).
4. Better research ability to research and develop an indigenous civil aircraft in the country and also speed up the process unlike what we have seen in the HAL or NAL etc. (That way we may probably get to see some competition for the 中国商飞公司 C919 etc on a lighter note).

For decades, the country probably was struggling without a proper aviation/ aeronautical university which led to decades long slow progress in the civil aviation sector of the country. The Civil Aviation Research Organisation of India could be the answer to this.

But would it be as good as something like the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University or can it get there in due course of time? Well time and efforts of the Govt and other aviation organisations or companies of the country hold the answer to this question.

For now wishing the Indian Aviation Community and CARO fair winds and happy landings for the future we dream of.