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NEW DELHI: In a major reform, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given its nod to changing the educational requirements for becoming a commercial pilot in India by proposing to allow class 12 pass outs from arts and commerce streams to also pursue this course.And no longer limit commercial pilot licence (CPL) training to science students alone, as it has been for almost three decades now.The regulator has sent its recommendation to the Union aviation ministry, which after finalising the amendment, will send the same to the law ministry. That ministry is to notify changes in the current rules which, as of now, require a student to mandatorily have physics and maths in class 12 for CPL training. Once cleared, all class 12 pass outs — subject to clearing medical fitness and other tests — will be eligible to become commercial pilots in India.“The DGCA recommendation has been sent to the aviation ministry. Once they finalise it, this ministry will send in to the law ministry to notify the change. When that happens, the change will come into effect,” said a senior official. TOI had first reported the move to allow arts and commerce students to do CPL training in India on April 18, 2025.Since mid 1990s, CPL training in India is open only for science & maths students. Before that, 10th pass (matric) was the only educational requirement for doing CPL here. Senior captains say no country other than India has this requirement. They term it an archaic requirement that needs to go as the level of physics and maths knowledge required by pilots is imparted in junior classes itself. Over the last 30 years, many arts and commerce students were forced to give Class 12 exam for physics and maths from open school to be eligible for CPL training.Aware of the likely spurt in number of students opting for CPL training once this rule is amended, aviation authorities have already started work on improving flying schools in India. The long time for CPL flying along with questionable safety and training standards of many flying schools in India forces a large number of students to head abroad every year to pursue this expensive course.DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on May 16 directed all flying schools in the country to “maintain a dedicated website for their organisation” which must have updated information regarding several parameters that include, among other things, the minimum and maximum time taken to complete 200 hours of flying; number of aircraft, instructors, designated examiners, availability of ground school & simulator. DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai wants to bring in transparency about flying training organisation (FTOs) so that the information being in public domain based on which students will choose them will make them competitive, safer and student-friendly.On their part, FTOs point out a number of things that DGCA must do to make flying training less painful in India. Becoming a pilot in India is anything but easy — right from training stage to eventually getting a job. Most student pilots come from middle-class families who have taken big loans to give wings to their children’s dreams.Senior pilots have a word of caution for all aspiring aviators. “Even after the expensive CPL traning and endorsement, getting a job can take a long time. If you are planning to become a pilot, the entire family must factor in the financial aspect and the time lag in getting a job after the entire training is complete. The reality is not as rosy as it seems for wannabe pilots. It’s a ,” they caution.
The changes DGCA has proposed to the eligibility criteria:
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