DGCA issues record 1,081 commercial pilot licenses so far this year
New Delhi. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued licenses to 1,081 pilots for commercial flying in 2022. This is the highest number of licenses issued in a single year in the last decade. This information was received from official figures. A record number of ‘Commercial Pilot Licenses or CPLs’ were issued at a time when the country’s civil aviation sector is now recovering rapidly after the coronavirus pandemic and domestic air traffic is on the way to touch pre-pandemic levels.
A senior DGCA official said on Sunday that till December 6, 2022, 1,081 CPLs have been issued and it is estimated that the number will cross 1,100 by the end of the year. According to the data, this number is the highest since 2011. In 2014, 896 CPLs were issued while in 2021 the number was 862. There were 394 CPL in 2015, 537 in 2016, 552 in 2017 and 640 in 2018. Statistics show that the number of CPLs issued in 2019 was 744 and in 2020 it was 578.
Application for CPL can be made subject to fulfillment of other conditions including at least 200 hours of flying. DGCA issues three types of licenses which are: CPL, Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and Private Pilot License (PPL). As per DGCA data, 657 ATPLs have been issued till December 6 this year.
