Aryan · Founder, Ready Aviator · 25 May 2026

What an airline cadet pilot programme really costs in India

We compared the Air India, IndiGo, Akasa and SpiceJet cadet programmes with their real fees. Three print the price; Air India hides its official number, but its cadets and academy brochure give it away: about ₹1.1 to 1.5 crore.

Airline cadet programmesIndia, four of them

Cadet

Lowest published₹89.5 lakh
Highest₹1.5 crore
Inside the feeGround school, hours, type rating
Three print a priceGST on topA bond at the end
SpiceJet ₹89.5 lakhPublished on its own admissions page.
IndiGo ₹94 lakh to ₹1.1 croreYou pay the partner school, not the airline.
Akasa ₹97.4 lakh to ₹1.06 croreInside the application FAQ.
Air India ₹1.1 to 1.5 croreIts academy brochure and its selected cadets.
Side by side

All four, priced

What each airline's cadet programme costs to become a First OfficerAll-in band, ₹ lakh. Three are official published prices; Air India's is a reported estimate.
SpiceJetQ400 / B737₹89.5L–₹1.05 Cr

Official price₹89.5L, printed on its own fee sheet

IndiGoA320₹94L–₹1.10 Cr

Official priceEach partner school publishes its own: ₹94L (Chimes) to ~₹1.1Cr overseas

AkasaB737 MAX₹97.4L–₹1.06 Cr

Official price₹97.4L–₹1.06Cr, stated in its application FAQ

Air IndiaA320 / B737₹1.10 Cr–₹1.50 Cr

Reported estimateAirline doesn't print it, but cadets + brochures say ~₹1.1Cr India route to ~₹1.5Cr US route

Where each number lives

Three print it, one makes you look

AirlineWhere the figure comes from
SpiceJetIts academy admissions page, with the installments
IndiGoEach partner school's own fee page
AkasaThe SkyCadet application FAQ
Air IndiaIts AIFTA brochure, and cadets already selected

Read 2026. SpiceJet's ₹30 lakh merit scholarship drops a strong cadet to about ₹59.5 lakh. Air India's portal says the cost is shared after selection; the brochure puts the India pathway near ₹1.1 crore and the US flying route at ₹1.4 to 1.5 crore.

On top of the fee

GST, and a bond

GST is added to tuition, so a ₹90 lakh fee carries about another ₹16 lakh. Every programme ties you to the airline for a fixed number of years, and Air India's selected cadets report a ₹30 lakh deposit, three cheques of ₹10 lakh, forfeited if you leave early. Get the lock-in terms in writing before you commit.

Practise the real papers

Selection starts with the same papers

Five per chapter, open, with the working underneath.

Question 5 of 20Answer shown

What is the highest latitude listed below at which the sun will reach an altitude of 90⁰ above the horizon at some time during the year?
a23⁰b45⁰c66⁰

How the answer is reached

  1. The sun is overhead somewhere on the earth every day, and that point moves north and south with the seasons.
  2. Because the axis is tilted 23½°, the point stops at 23½° north in June and 23½° south in December. It never goes past either.
  3. 45⁰ and 66⁰ are both outside that band, so the sun never stands at 90⁰ over them.

Answer 23⁰the only latitude in the list inside the band

Open the question bank
Keep reading
The cadet programmes, comparedWhat pilot training costs, all inType rating cost in IndiaThe self-funded route, priced