IIT Guwahati on Friday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Airbus India to organise training programmes focusing on developing Guwahati as one of the “best aviation and logistics hubs” in the country.

Under the collaboration, IIT Guwahati will organise courses, onboard students and provide the necessary infrastructure and logistical support. At the same time, Airbus, in the initial phase, will supply trainers, training materials and tools from “Airbus Beyond Catalog” for short-term courses.

Airbus will then enable IIT Guwahati faculty to conduct train-the-trainer programmes, allowing them to independently deliver Airbus courses while maintaining the curriculum, materials and tools. Additionally, the partnership plans to co-curate long-term courses in its later phase.

Prof Devendra Jalihal, the director of IIT Guwahati, and Suraj Chettri, the vice-president of Airbus India, signed the agreement to “foster a formal alliance and a shared commitment to innovation, excellence and the future of aerospace technology and logistics hub development in Assam”. The MoA was signed in the presence of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at IIT Guwahati.

The collaborative programme will be established at IIT Guwahati, with guidance and close coordination from the Assam government and all state governments in the northeastern region.

Jalihal said: “We are thrilled to embark on this transformative partnership with Airbus, which aligns with our vision for advanced education in aviation and logistics and addresses the pressing need for skilled professionals in these critical sectors.”

Thanking chief minister Sarma for his “invaluable” support, Jalihal said that the collaboration will “empower” the youth of Assam and the Northeast, fostering innovation, economic growth and a brighter future for all. “Together, we aim to create a sustainable ecosystem that will enhance the region’s contribution to global trade and aviation,” Jalihal said.

Flagging the need for skilled professionals in the aviation and logistics sectors, Sarma said: “The collaboration will address the current skills gap and ignite sustained growth and elevate the global competitiveness of the aviation and logistics sectors in the Northeast.... The dynamic range of courses to be launched at the Centre to train 2,000 students annually from the Northeast, other states and BBIN (countries), will set a new standard for aviation education in the region.”