Arts, commerce students eligible for pilot training? DGCA mulls tweaking three-decade-old rule

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is looking to bring in sweeping changes to the educational requirements for becoming a commercial pilot in India.

Changing a three-decade rule wherein only science stream students were eligible for a commercial pilot licence (CPL), the DGCA is now looking to allow Class 12 passouts from the arts and commerce streams to pursue a CPL.

According to a report by The Times of India, the DGCA has already sent its recommendation to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to finalise the changes. Once cleared by the civil aviation ministry, the recommendations will be sent to the Union Ministry of Law & Justice, which will notify the rule change.

Once the move clears all bureaucratic hurdles, all Class 12 passouts will be eligible to become commercial pilots in India, subject to clearing the required medical and other tests, of course.

CPL training, since the mid-1990s, has only been open for science and maths students, a requirement that reportedly no other country has.

While a certain level of physics and mathematical knowledge is indeed needed for getting a CPL, the required knowledge is imparted in junior classes itself.

Now, with the government looking to remove the restriction and increase the pool of eligible pilots, a spurt in CPL training applications is expected.

To handle the same, aviation authorities have already started work to improve flying schools in India: as it stands, many flying schools in the country have questionable safety and training standards, a ground reality that forces many aspiring pilots to head abroad to pursue a CPL.

The move by the government also comes at a time when India is a facing a significant pilot shortage amid low CPL issuance rates: according to DGCA data, the total number of CPLs issued in 2024 fell by a significant 17 per cent, in comparison to 2023. Incidentally, 2023 also saw an uprecedented increase in wait time for CPLs issued, with an increase of 40 per cent in comparison to 2022.

Over the course of the next decade, major carriers are also predicted to have significant demand for pilots, with an ETV report projecting a demand for around 20,000 new pilots in the aforementioned timeframe.