The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued 1,342 commercial pilot licences (CPLs) in 2024, a 17 per cent dip from the 2023 figure of 1,622. While DGCA hasn’t clarified the reason for this, the Government Aviation Training Institute’s MD has attributed it to a shortage of certified flight instructors.
 
The situation is bound to create a bottleneck as aircraft ordered by various commercial airlines are on their way. Captain Jati Dhillon, managing director of the Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI), explaining the drop in the number of CPLs issued told mid-day, “The major factor in play is the shortage of instructors in India. The DGCA takes too long to make an instructor. It takes eight to 10 months to become an instructor. Also, many airlines have come up and lots of experienced people have left flying schools to join them, reducing the number of instructors in the country.”

Commercial aircraft at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. File Pic/Satej Shinde