Record issuance of Commercial Pilot Licenses
- December 12, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Record issuance of Commercial Pilot Licenses
Subject: National organisation
Context: A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday said that 1,081 CPLs had been issued in 2022 till December 6 and the number was likely to cross 1,100 by the year-end.
Concept:
The record issuance of Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPLs) comes at a time when the country’s civil aviation sector is recovering at a fast pace after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and the domestic air traffic is inching towards the pre-pandemic level
This was also the highest for any year since 2011, as per the data. In 2014, the number of CPLs issued stood at 896 while the count was at 862 in 2021.
Procedure of license:
- An individual could apply for CPL after completing at least 200 hours of flying and fulfilling other conditions.
- The individual would have to clear theory papers and once successful, the CPL would be given for a period of five years subject to complying with various requirements.
- The license application process is online through the regulator’s eGCA platform
- DGCA issues three types of licenses — CPL, Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and Private Pilot License (PPL).
- While CPL allows a pilot to start flying as a co-pilot, ATPL permits a pilot to be the commander. PPL is issued for operating private planes.
- Mostly two and four-seater Cessna aircraft are used for flying training activities.The training of a pilot, including flying training is estimated to cost up to ₹50 lakh.
- DGCA has issued more than 25,000 pilot licenses till now and there are estimated to be 11,000-12,000 active pilots. Out of them, 9,000-10,000 pilots are operating commercial planes.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation
- Directorate General of Civil Aviation is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation primarily dealing with safety issues.
- It is responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards.
- It also co-ordinates all regulatory functions with International Civil Aviation Organisation.