Himachal Pradesh News
Himachal Pradesh News : PG Gurukul Becomes India’s First Nationally Accredited Paragliding School
PG Gurukul in Himachal Pradesh has become the first paragliding school in India to receive national accreditation from the Aero Club of India under the National Air Sports Guidelines 2023.
PG Gurukul, a paragliding training institute located near the landing zone in Keori village of Baijnath, Kangra district, has become the first paragliding school in India to receive national accreditation from the Aero Club of India (ACI) under the National Air Sports Guidelines (NASG-2023).
The accreditation was granted following a joint assessment by international evaluator Andy Snell—Senior Instructor and Chief Flying Instructor from a British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA)-approved school—and Shanker Singh, Senior Pilot and Technical Expert from the ACI. The evaluation confirmed that PG Gurukul fully complies with prescribed operational, safety and regulatory standards.
ACI officials said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recently underlined the rapid growth of air sports in the country and the importance of strict safety compliance. In a directive to states, the DGCA reiterated that the ACI, affiliated with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), is the apex body authorised to frame rules, procedures and requirements for air sports, including paragliding, in India.
Reacting to the achievement, PG Gurukul spokesperson Gurpreet Dhindsa said the accreditation marked a significant milestone for the institute. “This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to world-class safety, professionalism and training standards,” he said.
ACI Secretary General Group Captain Arvind Badoni (Retd) congratulated the institute and said the accreditation would play a key role in fostering a safer, more structured and professional air sports ecosystem in the country.
PG Gurukul operates at Bir-Billing, one of India’s most renowned paragliding destinations. Its Chief Flying Instructor, Gurpreet Dhindsa, brings three decades of flying experience and has been training paragliders for the past 24 years. He has participated in 69 international events and secured six podium finishes.
