15-05-2025
How one man reached for the sky from his classroom
Hyderabad: For
T Sai Kiran
, becoming a pilot was always his dream. Growing up, his fascination for aircraft led him to imagine himself in a cockpit one day. However, financial hurdles forced him to change course, although he never strayed far from aviation.
After graduating with a BTech in Aeronautical Engineering from Hyderabad, Sai Kiran began his career as an assistant professor in 2011, teaching aeronautical engineering for nearly eight years. "Teaching was fulfilling, but deep down, I still wanted to be part of the action of the industry," said the 36-year-old.
Undeterred, he enrolled on a certification course in airport operations at
GMR Aero Academy
in 2019. The course became a launchpad, and soon after, he landed a job with
Air India SATS
.
Over the next three years, he worked his way up from the customer service department to the airline's website operations, finally becoming a turnaround coordinator and managing critical ramp-side functions such as aircraft handling, fuelling, boarding, and service coordination.
His starting salary in the aviation industry was a modest Rs 2.8 lakh per annum. However, he persevered, combining his technical know-how with hands-on experience.
His growing expertise eventually brought him back to GMR Aero Academy in 2022 — this time as a faculty member.
Today, he teaches the same
airport operations certification
course that he once trained on, combining his passion for aviation with his talent for teaching.
The result? A fulfilling career that brings together his two passions — and a salary that has more than quadrupled in just three years.
"I couldn't become a pilot," he added, "but I found a different way to be close to the skies."
