New Delhi, July 21, 2026
India issued 1,331 Commercial Pilot Licences (CPLs) during the first six months of 2026 (January-June), with more than four out of every 10 newly licensed pilots having received their training abroad, according to the government.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union MoS for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued licences to 791 cadets trained at Indian Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) and 540 cadets trained at foreign FTOs as of June 30.
This suggests around 41 per cent of the newly licensed commercial pilots underwent training overseas.
The figures come at a time when Indian airlines are expanding their fleets and networks, driving strong demand for pilots.
According to the minister, the DGCA issued 1,652 Commercial Pilot Licences in 2025, compared with 1,347 in 2024, 1,622 in 2023 and 1,165 in 2022, indicating sustained growth in pilot certification over the past few years.
Additionally, India currently has 41 DGCA-approved Flying Training Organisations operating across 63 bases with a fleet of more than 400 training aircraft, according to the minister.
Under DGCA norms, Flying Training Organisations are required to maintain an aircraft-instructor-student ratio of 1:1:10, enabling the existing training ecosystem to accommodate around 3,500 students at any given time.
Moreover, the government has taken several steps to strengthen the country’s pilot training ecosystem, including simplifying the approval and oversight process for Flying Training Organisations and revising training regulations to improve capacity and operational efficiency, the minister said.
The latest data comes amid robust growth in India’s aviation sector, with domestic airlines placing large aircraft orders and expanding operations, creating demand for thousands of additional pilots in the coming years.(Agency)
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