DGCA requirements read on 16 September 2026 from the regulator’s own documents. Sources below.
Quick Answer
What is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer?
Certifies that an aircraft is fit to fly. The signature that releases an aircraft back to service is an engineer’s, not a pilot’s. In India the licence is issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and governed by CAR 66, the Airworthiness Procedure Manual and the Airworthiness Advisory Circular. It is a licensed role in the same sense a pilot licence is licensed — the regulator sets the entry requirements and examines you, rather than an employer deciding what counts.
What DGCA sets for an AME
- •Minimum age 16. No maximum age to register as an AME candidate.
- •10+2 passed with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from a recognised board or university, or the equivalent.
- •Examination fee ₹1,500 per module, ₹3,000 on demand — paid to the government
- •Up to 5 modules in a session
- •Governed by CAR 66, the Airworthiness Procedure Manual and the Airworthiness Advisory Circular
- •No flying hours. This is a ground engineering licence.
The subject that decides it, and it is decided at 16
If you read nothing else here, read this. DGCA asks an AME candidate for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. It asks a pilot candidate for Physics and Mathematics. The regulator states both requirements side by side in its own document listing why computer number applications get rejected — so this is not an inference, it is DGCA setting out two different gates on one page.
The consequence is quiet and permanent in the short term. A student who drops Chemistry at 10+2 has closed the AME door while leaving the pilot door open. Nobody tells them that at the point they choose subjects, and by the time it matters the choice is two years behind them. If you are still in Class 10 or 11 and either route interests you, keep all three subjects — it costs you nothing and it keeps both open.
If you have already finished 10+2 without Chemistry, students from a Biology or Commerce stream clear both subjects as private candidates through NIOS and then apply. The same bridge logic applies, and it belongs at the front of your plan.
AME and pilot, side by side
Both are DGCA-licensed. Both are examined by the same organisation, through the same portal, against a computer number. Almost everything else differs.
| AME | Pilot (CPL) | |
|---|---|---|
| School subjects required | 10+2 passed with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from a recognised board or university, or the equivalent. | Class 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics from a recognised Board or University |
| Minimum age | 16 | 16 for a Student Pilot Licence, 18 for a Commercial Pilot Licence |
| DGCA examination fee | ₹1,500 per module, ₹3,000 on demand | ₹2,500 per paper, ₹5,000 on demand |
| Modules or papers per session | Up to 5 modules in a session | 5 papers in total, cleared one at a time at 70% each |
| Flying hours | None. This is a ground engineering licence. | 200 hours as pilot of an aeroplane for a CPL |
| Governed by | CAR 66, the Airworthiness Procedure Manual and the Airworthiness Advisory Circular | Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II, and the Civil Aviation Requirements for flight crew |
| What the licence lets you do | Certifies that an aircraft is fit to fly. The signature that releases an aircraft back to service is an engineer’s, not a pilot’s. | Fly an aeroplane for hire or reward, once the licence is issued |
| The biggest cost | Training at an institute. We cannot source a figure and do not print one. | The flying. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) publishes ₹55,00,000 for an ab-initio course including the 200 hours. |
Notice the last row. The pilot route’s dominant cost is the flying, and it is partly public — Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) publishes ₹55,00,000. The AME route’s dominant cost is institute training, and we could not source a figure for it, so none appears here. Treat any AME course fee you are quoted the way you should treat a flying school quote: get it in writing and ask what it excludes.
What is identical to the pilot route
The portal
AME candidates register and book on the same DGCA Pariksha portal as pilots, through the same Central Examination Organisation.
The computer number
The same prerequisite. Nothing can be booked without one, and it is a separate online application rather than part of the exam booking.
Government fees, not institute fees
₹1,500 per module in a regular session and ₹3,000 in an Online On-Demand Examination, paid to the government. Compare that with ₹2,500 and ₹5,000 for a pilot paper.
A minimum age, and no maximum
16 to register. No maximum age to register as an AME candidate.
Because the portal is shared, the practical first step is the same for both: apply for a computer number. It needs no medical certificate, no institute and no flying school, and through DigiLocker it is allotted immediately. Our computer number guide covers the application, the rejection reasons and how an appeal works — all of which apply to AME candidates too.
What this page will not tell you
No AME salary figure, no placement rate, no institute fee and no count of AME institutes. None of it is sourceable, and the same rule that keeps salary figures off our pilot salary page applies here. On whether there is an AME shortage: the Ministry of Civil Aviation has published a position on pilot supply — “There is no shortage of Pilots/Crews in the Indian Aviation Sector. However, there is a shortage of commanders on certain types of aircraft.” — and we could find no equivalent statement about engineers, so this page does not make one up.
And plainly: We teach the DGCA ground subjects and arrange flight training with partner flying schools. We do not own aircraft or simulators, we do not employ pilots, and we do not place students into airline jobs — hiring decisions rest with the operator. This page exists because the requirements are public and a student choosing between two routes deserves them side by side — not because we have an AME course to sell you. The other roles DGCA licences, including Flight Dispatcher, Flight Engineer, Flight Navigator and Air Traffic Controller, are set out on our aviation careers page.
People also ask
What is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer?
Certifies that an aircraft is fit to fly. The signature that releases an aircraft back to service is an engineer’s, not a pilot’s. In India the licence is issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and governed by CAR 66, the Airworthiness Procedure Manual and the Airworthiness Advisory Circular. It is a licensed role in the same sense a pilot licence is licensed — the regulator sets the entry requirements and examines you, rather than an employer deciding what counts.
What subjects do I need for AME?
10+2 passed with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from a recognised board or university, or the equivalent. That is the single most important line on this page, because it differs from the pilot requirement: Class 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics from a recognised Board or University Note the subject list. Pilots need Physics and Mathematics; AME candidates need Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. DGCA’s own rejection-reasons list for computer numbers states both requirements side by side.
What is the minimum age for AME?
16 to register as a candidate. No maximum age to register as an AME candidate. That is a real difference from the pilot route, where a Commercial Pilot Licence cannot be held before 18.
What does the DGCA AME examination cost?
₹1,500 per module in a regular session and ₹3,000 per module in an Online On-Demand Examination, with up to 5 modules in a session. Those are DGCA's fees paid to the government, not an institute's course fee — the two are routinely confused when people compare AME to pilot training.
AME or pilot — which is better?
Neither is better; they are different jobs with different gates, and the gate usually decides it. If you did not take Chemistry at 10+2 you cannot meet the AME education requirement as DGCA states it, while the pilot requirement of Physics and Mathematics is still open to you. If you have all three subjects, both are open and the honest deciding questions are cost, and whether you want to fly the aircraft or be the person who signs it fit to.
Frequently asked questions
Is AME a DGCA licence?
Yes. It is governed by CAR 66, the Airworthiness Procedure Manual and the Airworthiness Advisory Circular, and candidates register and are examined through the same DGCA Central Examination Organisation that examines pilots.
Do I need Chemistry for AME?
Yes, as DGCA states the requirement: 10+2 passed with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from a recognised board or university, or the equivalent. This is the difference from the pilot route that catches people out, and it is decided at 10+2 rather than later.
Can I do AME without Physics and Maths?
Not on the requirement as DGCA states it. The combination named is Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, or the equivalent from a recognised board or university.
How many AME modules can I attempt in one session?
Up to 5.
Does an AME need flying hours?
No. It is a ground engineering licence. That is the clearest structural difference from a Commercial Pilot Licence, which requires 200 hours of flying — and the flying is where almost all the cost of the pilot route sits.
Is there a shortage of AMEs in India?
We cannot tell you, and we will not guess. What the government has published is about pilots rather than engineers: "There is no shortage of Pilots/Crews in the Indian Aviation Sector. However, there is a shortage of commanders on certain types of aircraft." No equivalent statement about AME supply could be sourced, so this page does not make one.
Does We One Aviation train AMEs?
No. We teach the DGCA ground subjects and arrange flight training with partner flying schools. We do not own aircraft or simulators, we do not employ pilots, and we do not place students into airline jobs — hiring decisions rest with the operator. This page exists because the DGCA requirements for both routes are public and a student choosing between them deserves to see them side by side — not because we are selling the AME route.
Where do I apply for the AME examination?
On the DGCA Pariksha portal, against a computer number, the same way a pilot candidate books written papers.
Sources
Read on 16 September 2026. Both are DGCA’s own documents.
- –AME examination FAQ (DGCA Pariksha)
- –Reasons for rejection of computer number applications — states the Physics and Mathematics requirement for flight crew alongside Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for AME candidates (DGCA Pariksha)
Still choosing between the two?
Our counselling is free and carries no obligation, and it is fine to use it to conclude that the pilot route is not for you — that is a good outcome reached cheaply. What a session covers, or call +91-9667370747.