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India is poised to issue a record number of commercial pilot licences (CPLs) in 2023, surpassing the 2022 figure, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday.
Last year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued 1,135 CPLs, the highest ever so far. The figure includes both certification of locally trained cadets and licence conversions of those trained overseas.
Taking off
“In the first five months of 2023, DGCA has issued 731 CPLs. I believe that we will issue more than 1,135 licences this year,” Scindia said while inaugurating three flying training schools in Khajurhao, Madhya Pradesh.
The rise in licence issuances comes amid the recovery of air traffic following the Covid-19 pandemic and against the backdrop of mega aircraft orders by Indian carriers like Air India and IndiGo.
An increase in the number of flying training schools in the country and the introduction of monthly examinations for aspiring pilots in 2021 have boosted growth. Earlier, the examinations would be held once every quarter. Empowering flying instructors to authorise training flights has also helped. This has increased aircraft utilisation and made the training process quicker.
Growing fleet
The combined fleet size of all Indian airlines has increased from around 400 in 2013 to 700 now. Scindia said the fleet is expected to grow to 1200–1500 in the next four to five years, and that would increase the requirement for pilots. The government’s internal estimate pegs the annual requirement at 1,000.
Currently, 40 per cent of Indian pilots are trained overseas, and the government aims to promote the growth of training schools that will make India the global centre for flying training, Scindia said in his address.
On their part, training schools are already ramping up.
“We are building capacity at our training school. Last year we had ten training aircraft, and we have increased it to 22 now. We have also received DGCA approval for our second facility at Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh,” said YN Sharma, chief executive officer of Chimes Aviation Academy, a flying training school.
“DGCA has also improved its stakeholder consultation, and there is further scope for improvements by incorporating international best practices,” said Jati Dhillon, managing director of the Government Aviation Training Institute, Odisha.
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