Checked against the Aircraft Rules, DGCA Pariksha, eGCA and the DGCA medical CAR on 17 September 2026. Sources below.
Quick Answer
What is the admission process for a Commercial Pilot Licence in India?
There is no single admission office. The sequence is: confirm eligibility under Schedule II of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 (age 18 for the licence, class 10+2 with physics and mathematics from a recognised board or university); register for a DGCA computer number on https://pariksha.dgca.gov.in, which needs no medical and no school; take the Class 1 medical before paying any school a deposit; choose a DGCA-approved flying training organisation; clear the 5 written papers at 70% each; clear RTR (A) separately; fly 200 hours with the logbook validated as you go; then apply on eGCA.
The four things people get wrong
- •Age: 16 for the licence you train on, 18 for the one you are training towards — not one number
- •The computer number comes first, not last. It needs no medical and no flying school
- •The medical comes before the deposit. Finding a disqualifying condition after paying is an expensive way to learn it
- •RTR (A) is not a sixth paper — it is examined separately and clears on its own timetable
The sequence, in order
Each step below carries the rule or portal it comes from. Nothing here is our procedure; it is the regulator’s, arranged in the order that costs a candidate the least time and money.
Confirm eligibility against Schedule II, not a brochure
Age 18 for the Commercial Pilot Licence and 16 for the Student Pilot Licence — the licence you train on and the licence you are working towards have different minimum ages, and pages that print a single number for "pilot training" are collapsing the two. Education: Class 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics from a recognised Board or University (Section J, para 1(b)).
Students from a Biology or Commerce stream clear both subjects as private candidates through NIOS and then apply.
Source: Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II
Register for the computer number — before anything else
This is the step almost every sequence puts last, and it belongs first. Registration on https://pariksha.dgca.gov.in needs no medical certificate and no flying school. A unique identification number allotted to a candidate, used to identify that candidate through the DGCA online examination process. Lifetime — issued once and retained for the whole examination journey.
Minimum age to register is 16. No maximum age is prescribed. One computer number per candidate per flight crew category. Change the category in the profile rather than applying again.
Source: DGCA Pariksha
Book the medical before you pay any deposit
Book the Class 1 initial before committing money to a flying school. The student pilot licence only needs a Class 2, but the licence you are training towards needs a Class 1 — and finding a disqualifying condition after paying a deposit is an expensive way to learn it.
A Class 2 covers the Student Pilot Licence; a Class 1 is what the Commercial Pilot Licence needs. An initial Class 1 can only be done at AFCME, New Delhi, IAM, Bengaluru, MEC (East), Jorhat, DGCA-empanelled Aeromedical Evaluation Centre. DGCA charges ₹5,000 for a Class 1 and ₹3,000 for a Class 2 at the Air Force centres.
Source: Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7 — Flight Crew Standards, Training and Licensing, Series 'C', Part I, Issue II dated 12 October 2017, Revision 7 dated 01 October 2025
Choose the flying school against published evidence
DGCA lists 41 approved flying training organisations as on 30 March 2026, across 15 states, and separately ranks them. Operational Aspects carries 40% of that ranking — which is the closest thing to an objective throughput measure anyone publishes.
Worth knowing before you plan travel: there is no approved flying base in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad. Ground school and flying happen in different places for almost every Delhi student.
Source: DGCA approved FTO list and ranking notice
Clear the written examinations
5 subjects: Air Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Regulations, Technical General, Technical Specific. A candidate who secures a minimum of 70% marks in the theoretical knowledge examination of a particular subject is declared PASS. The 70% applies to each subject on its own. There is no aggregate, and a strong paper does not carry a weak one.
₹2,500 per paper in a regular session, ₹5,000 on demand. Clearing papers years before you finish your flying hours is not free. Count backwards from the licence application, not forwards from the first paper.
Source: Series 'B' Part I, Rev. 2 dated 13 February 2019
Clear RTR (A), which is not one of the five
RTR (A) is examined separately from the DGCA written papers. Examined separately from the DGCA written papers, and required for CPL issue under Section J paragraph 1(g).
Students routinely discover this at the end. Treat it as its own project with its own timetable from the start.
Source: Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025
Fly the hours, and have the logbook validated as you go
200 hours in total, flown within 5 years preceding the application. The breakdown is fixed by Schedule II and no school can shorten it.
Have the flying training organisation e-validate the logbook as hours accrue rather than in one batch at the end — a validation backlog at the end is a common and entirely avoidable delay.
Source: Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II, Section J, para 1(e)
Apply on eGCA
The licence application is made on eGCA, and it checks six things against its own records before it will process a Commercial Pilot Licence.
The two meet in one field: the computer number Pariksha allots appears in the basic details section of the eGCA licence application. Neither portal replaces the other.
Source: eGCA, https://egca.gov.in
What the 200 hours are made of
| Requirement | Hours | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot-in-command | 100 | of which not less than 15 hours in the six months before applying |
| Cross-country as PIC | 20 | including one flight of at least 300 nautical miles with full-stop landings at two different aerodromes |
| Instrument time | 10 | of which not more than 5 hours may be on an approved simulator |
| Night flying | 5 | including at least 10 take-offs and 10 landings as pilot-in-command |
These are minimums in Schedule II. No school shortens them, and a quote built on fewer hours is a quote with a second invoice behind it.
What eGCA checks at the end
- –Be registered on the eGCA portal with your own eGCA ID
- –Hold a valid Class 1 medical certificate and the medical assessment sheet
- –Hold a valid FRTOL or FRTOL(R) with the RTR certificate
- –Have the e-logbook updated and e-validated by your flying training organisation for flying hours and skill tests
- –Have cleared the English Language Proficiency examination at Level 4 or above
- –Have passed the written examinations conducted by the Central Examination Organisation
It checks these against its own records rather than your word, which is why the logbook validation and the name spellings matter long before you reach this screen.
People also ask
What is the admission process for a Commercial Pilot Licence in India?
There is no single admission office. The sequence is: confirm eligibility under Schedule II of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 (age 18 for the licence, class 10+2 with physics and mathematics from a recognised board or university); register for a DGCA computer number on https://pariksha.dgca.gov.in, which needs no medical and no school; take the Class 1 medical before paying any school a deposit; choose a DGCA-approved flying training organisation; clear the 5 written papers at 70% each; clear RTR (A) separately; fly 200 hours with the logbook validated as you go; then apply on eGCA.
What is the minimum age to start CPL training?
16 for a Student Pilot Licence, which is the licence you actually train on, and 18 for the Commercial Pilot Licence itself. A Private Pilot Licence sits at 17. Any page giving one age for "pilot training" has merged three different licences.
Do I need to join a flying school before registering with DGCA?
No, and doing it in that order costs students an examination session every year. A unique identification number allotted to a candidate, used to identify that candidate through the DGCA online examination process. The registration needs no medical certificate and no flying school.
How many DGCA exams are there for CPL?
5: Air Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Regulations, Technical General, Technical Specific. RTR (A) is required for the licence but examined separately, so it is not a sixth paper.
Does We One Aviation run the flying training?
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an admission deadline?
Not for the licence itself. DGCA publishes examination sessions and the dates move; the current calendar is on our DGCA Pariksha page. A flying school has its own intake dates, which are the school's and not the regulator's. DGCA publishes these dates as tentative and subject to change for gazetted holidays, festivals and similar reasons. Confirm against the public notice on the Pariksha portal before planning travel.
What documents do I need to start?
Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets and pass certificates, a date-of-birth certificate, board verification certificates, address proof and Aadhaar, plus a photograph and signature to the exact specifications the portal sets. Get the name spelling identical to your Class 10 record on every portal — a mismatch is the most common avoidable delay.
What does the whole process cost?
We publish only the figures a government body publishes. DGCA charges ₹2,500 per examination paper in a regular session and ₹5,000 on demand, and ₹5,000 for a Class 1 medical at an Air Force centre. Flying school fees are set by each school and vary; ask for the seven-question breakdown on our cost page before comparing two quotes.
Can I take the exams before I start flying?
Yes, and it is usually the best use of the time. Watch the validity window though: Theoretical knowledge papers must be completed within two and a half years immediately preceding the date of application. For the issue of a CPL or an ATPL, that period is five years.
What if I fail a paper?
You retake that paper on its own. The 70% applies to each subject on its own. There is no aggregate, and a strong paper does not carry a weak one. There is no aggregate to rescue a weak subject and no penalty attached to the subjects you have already cleared.
Which medical do I need, and when?
A Class 2 Medical Assessment is not a prerequisite for sitting the Class 1 initial examination. The CAR states the Class 2 assessment is issued for licensing purposes, Class 2 renewals, re-initials and temporary or permanent unfit cases. Book the Class 1 initial before committing money to a flying school. The student pilot licence only needs a Class 2, but the licence you are training towards needs a Class 1 — and finding a disqualifying condition after paying a deposit is an expensive way to learn it.
Is there a DGCA-approved flying school in Delhi?
No. DGCA's approved list has no flying base in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad. Ground school can be done in Delhi; the flying happens elsewhere. Anyone telling you otherwise is not reading the same list.
What does eGCA check before issuing the licence?
Six things: Be registered on the eGCA portal with your own eGCA ID; Hold a valid Class 1 medical certificate and the medical assessment sheet; Hold a valid FRTOL or FRTOL(R) with the RTR certificate; Have the e-logbook updated and e-validated by your flying training organisation for flying hours and skill tests; Have cleared the English Language Proficiency examination at Level 4 or above; Have passed the written examinations conducted by the Central Examination Organisation.
How long does it take?
No authority publishes a figure and we will not invent one. It depends on examination sessions, weather, aircraft availability at your school and how promptly your logbook is validated. What is fixed is the list above and the validity windows attached to it.
What does We One Aviation actually do in this process?
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. The counselling is free and covers the route end to end — which licence you are aiming at, what to do first, and how to sequence the examinations against the medical.
Sources
- –Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II — Aircraft Personnel (India Code)
- –DGCA Pariksha — candidate registration and examination portal
- –eGCA — DGCA electronic governance portal for licences
- –Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7 — Flight Crew Standards, Training and Licensing, Series 'C', Part I, Issue II dated 12 October 2017, Revision 7 dated 01 October 2025
- –List of DGCA Approved Flying Training Organisations (as on 30.03.2026) — DGCA
Not sure where you are in this sequence?
The counselling is free and end to end. 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.