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Commercial Pilot Licence
Flying licence (DGCA)
A Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) lets you fly aircraft for pay. It is a licence issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), not a university degree. You train at a DGCA-approved flying training organisation (or abroad, then convert the licence), log flying hours and pass DGCA ground exams. To fly an airliner you then need a type rating for that aircraft.
How you get in
There is no common entrance exam. You need Class 12 with Physics and Mathematics (students from other streams have cleared these through NIOS; DGCA has proposed easing this rule, so check the current position). Clear a DGCA Class 2 medical to start and a Class 1 medical for the CPL, then join a DGCA-approved flying school or an airline cadet programme.
At a glance
- Training is largely self-funded and costly; ask schools for the full cost, including hours abroad.
- A CPL alone does not get you an airline job; a type rating and airline selection come next.
- The Class 1 medical has to stay valid throughout a flying career.
- Training time often stretches because of weather, aircraft availability and exam slots.
In numbers
Commercial Pilot Licences issued by DGCA3
in licences