IndiGo cabin crew training in Gurgaon explained: the ifly academy, the exams, the grooming block and how it compares to the Gulf

IndiGo, Bangalore, two years, and the Indian carrier training gets no coverage here, so this is IndiGo's course from the inside and, since half my base is applying to the Gulf, how it compares.

The set up

IndiGo trains at ifly, the company academy in Gurgaon near Delhi. The course is around six to eight weeks depending on the batch. Batches are large, 40 to 60, and the academy runs many at once. Accommodation is arranged nearby and paid for; food is provided. Training is paid at a stipend, and there is a training bond, currently around a year to two years depending on the contract, with a pro rated repayment if you leave early. Read it.

The blocks

Safety and emergency procedures on the A320 and A321 (and now the A321XLR), first aid, security, dangerous goods, the wet drill at a pool, CRM, and a long service and grooming block that is more prescriptive than the European carriers and less than the Gulf. The exams follow DGCA rules: written, practical, and a DGCA approved instructor signs you off. Pass marks are high and the resit rules are strict.

What is different about the Indian carrier course

The volume of aircraft types is small (all Airbus narrow body), so the SEP block is intense but focused. The service block includes a lot of the IndiGo specific product (the buy on board, the sales targets, the announcements) and a grooming standard that is checked daily: hair, nails, the specific makeup, the uniform worn exactly. The Hindi and English announcements are practised and assessed.

The physical side

The wet drill is real: 25 metres, the jacket, the raft. The door drills are on trainers. The reach is checked again. Trainees who came in at the height minimum sometimes struggle with the overhead stowages and are taught technique.

How it compares to the Gulf

Crew who went from IndiGo to Emirates or Qatar say: the SEP standard is comparable, and the DGCA exam discipline prepares you well for the Gulf's 90 percent pass marks. The service standard at the Gulf carriers is a different world (dine on demand, wine, the business class course) and the IndiGo buy on board experience is a starting point, not a preparation. The grooming standard is closer than people expect. The pool is the same pool.

The honest value

IndiGo training is good safety training, run by a serious academy, on a modern fleet, and it gives Indian crew a base to apply to the Gulf from with real flying hours. The bond and the stipend are the cost. Two years at IndiGo then a Gulf event is the most common path at my base, and it works.