Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) is an autonomous central university at

Fursatganj Airfield Fursatganj Airfield is an airfield at Fursatganj of Amethi district (formerly in Raebareli district) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. '' Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi'' is a flight training school established in 1986 and co-located ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

, India, for aviation studies and research. It is under the administration of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, constituted by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

in 2013 and physically established in 2018. It is India's first aviation university.

History

On 11 July 2013, the

Union Cabinet The Union Council of Ministers Article 58 of the ''Constitution of India'' is the principal executive organ of the Government of India, which is responsible for being the senior decision making body of the executive branch. It is chaired by t ...

approved the creation of India's first aviation university on 26.35 acres of land available at the

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) is a public pilot training institute located at Fursatganj Airfield in Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 1985. It is an autonomous institution and comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviati ...

, with a project outlay envisaged at ₹202 crore until 2019. On 6 September 2013, the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University Bill, 2013 was passed by the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

. The bill's object and reason states that the need for the university was felt due to the "marked absence of credible institutions imparting specialised technical and managerial training in air transportation, safety, security and regulatory areas,". The university was planned to expand to 250 acres in the coming phases. The bill received the assent of the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...

in September 2013. Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) was set up as an autonomous central university under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the

. RGNAU signed an MoU with GMR Aviation Academy for Joint PG Diploma in Aviation/Airport Operations. The courses were planned to begin from 2018. Air Vice Marshal (retired) Nalin Tandon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor. The government sanctioned ₹145 crore for the main work and ₹37 crore for interior furnishing of the university.

Role

It was setup with an aim to "facilitate and promote aviation studies, training, research and extension work with focus on emerging areas of studies such as aviation management, aviation regulation and policy, aviation history, aviation science and engineering, aviation law, aviation safety and security, aviation medicine, search and rescue, transportation of dangerous goods, environmental studies and other related fields".

Administration

According to the Act, the University shall have a

visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can inter ...

whose directions are binding and the visitor shall also appoint a Chancellor and a Vice Chancellor. Chancellor will be the head of the University. It also gives powers to establish the Court of the University, the Executive Council, the Academic Council, the Board of Affiliation and Recognition, the Boards of Schools, the Finance Committee and other authorities, and also the constitution of a Tribunal of Arbitration for dispute resolution related to contracts between the University and its employees. The annual accounts and balance-sheet of the University shall be audited by the

Comptroller and Auditor General of India The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is the supreme audit institution of India, established under Article 148 of the Constitution of India. They are empowered to audit all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the ...

and shall be laid before

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of ...

. The principal committees of the university are Executive Council and Academic Council, drawing experts and senior Government officials from the Government, IITs, IIMs, IATA, AAI etc. The university administration is managed by Vice Chancellor and Registrar, both the posts are appointed by the President of India.

Courses

RGNAU launched its first course as PG Diploma in Airport Operations in August 2019. * Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) in Aviation and Air Cargo * Post-Graduate Diploma in Airport Operations (PGDAO) * Basic Fire Fighters Course - Certificate course conducted in collaboration with GMR Aviation Academy The admissions are based on an objective-based entrance examination.

References

External links