Government is mulling setting up an aviation university to address the skilled manpower shortage in the sector, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Wednesday. Speaking after inaugurating the third edition of India Aviation 2012-- the International Civil Aviation Exhibition and Conference at Begumpet Airport here, the minister said, "We are keen to set up world class training and education infrastructure for the aviation sector in the country.

"To bridge the shortage of skilled personnel in aviation sector, we propose to set up a full-fledged university. This project will enhance the supply of trained pilots and other skilled personnel in aviation sector."

As part of the endeavour, several initiatives are underway, including efforts by CAE Canada and CAPA among others, Singh said.

The CAE global flying training institute at Gondia in Maharashtra and CAE simulator training facilities at Bangalore are excellent examples of such endeavours, he said.

Leading business and commercial aircraft manufacturer including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, UAC-Sukhoi, IRKUT and Berieve are participating in the five-day biennial aero show.

Dereamliner from Boeing Sukhoi's Superjet 100 aircraft, Airbus' A-318 and Embraer's business jets-- Phenom 300 and 100-- are the major attractions at the third edition of the event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Along with helicopters of Eurocopter, Augusta Westland, Sikorsky and Bell are also on display. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, S Jaipal Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Kumar Reddy were also present on the occasion.

The show would be open to business visitors for the first three days, and to the general public on March 17 and 18. 25 aircrafts for static and flying display are on show, while around 200 companies from the industry are participating in the event.