Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued 1,342 commercial pilot licences (CPLs) in 2024, a reduction of 17 per cent over the previous year. In 2023, it had issued a record 1,622 CPLs. This was almost 40 per cent higher than 2022 which saw an issuance of 1,165 licences.

The figures include certification of locally trained cadets and licence conversion of those trained overseas. Last year, 302 women obtained their CPL compared to 292 in 2023.

DGCA did not share reasons for issuance of fewer licences in 2024. According to aviation sector executives, a number of factors such as shortage of instructors and spare parts, disruption in aviation gasoline supply during March-April among others, slowed down training at flying schools in the country. This in turn impacted the number of licences issued last year, they said.

Biggest bottleneck

“The biggest bottleneck is shortage of instructors. CPL holders need to pass an examination and do check flights along with DGCA examiners to become flight instructors. In India, this process takes 8-10 months, more than twice the time taken in the US or Europe. Almost 70 candidates are waiting for three months for completion of their final check,” said Jati Dhillon, managing director of Government Aviation Training Institute.

Flying training which was hit during the pandemic resumed in earnest in 2022 and 2023. Thus the 2023 licence numbers also reflect post pandemic surge as candidates resumed their training.

“It takes around a year to complete CPL training in the West. In India, it takes double the time. India can actually cater to local demand and even foreign countries by adopting deregulation and best global practices,” said Hemanth DP, CEO of Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy.

Hemanth said this will help in speedy induction of training aircraft which can take up to six months due to multiple NOCs and approvals from regulatory bodies. “More slots and speedy clearance is also required for class I medical exams and certification,” he said.

Currently, there are 38 flying training schools operating at 56 locations across the country. While government run-Airport Authority of India eased norms for development of new flying schools at airports, certain administrative changes like monthly examinations (instead of quarterly) have helped too.

Also at present, aspiring pilots need to clear an examination for radio telephony proficiency conducted by Department of Telecommunications. Now the examination would be conducted by DGCA.

“The move will ease pilot certification processes and support the increasing demand for aviation professionals,” Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in an X post last month.