Class 1 and Class 2
Medical
Which licence needs which class, how long each lasts, and where DGCA says you can get it done
DGCA Class 1 and Class 2 Medical: What Each Licence Needs
Checked against the Aircraft Rules and the DGCA medical CAR on 11 September 2026; the centres list is DGCA’s own, as it stood on 27 August 2026. Every figure is sourced below.
A Commercial or Airline Transport Pilot Licence needs a Class 1 medical. A Student or Private Pilot Licence needs a Class 2. A Class 1 stays valid for one year up to age 60 and six months after that; a Class 2 for two years up to age 50, then one year. DGCA lists 13 approved centres, 4 of them in Delhi and the NCR.
On this page
Which class your licence needs
This is the question the page exists for, and the answer is set by Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7, Series 'C', Part I, Rev. 6 dated 18 October 2022 — Medical Requirements and Examination for Flight Crew / Air Traffic Controller Licences and Ratings. It is not a matter of opinion, and it does not vary between flying schools.
Class 1
Required for
- ✓Commercial Pilot Licence (aeroplane and helicopter)
- ✓Airline Transport Pilot Licence (aeroplane and helicopter)
- ✓Private Pilot Licence, where instrument rating privileges are required
Valid for: One year up to the age of 60, and six-monthly thereafter. Six-monthly above 40 for single-crew operations.
Conducted by: Air Force medical centres, approved civil medical centres, and DGCA-empanelled Class 1 medical examiners.
Class 2
Required for
- ✓Private Pilot Licence (aeroplane and helicopter)
- ✓Pilot Licence (microlight)
- ✓Student Pilot Licence (aeroplane, helicopter, glider, balloon, microlight)
- ✓Flight Radio Telephone Operator Licence and its variants
Valid for: Two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter.
Conducted by: Any DGCA-empanelled Class 1 medical examiner, and Class 2 medical examiners holding an MBBS with approved aviation medicine training.
Class 3
Required for
- ✓Air Traffic Controller licences and ratings
Valid for: Four years up to the age of 40, two years above 40 and up to 50, and one year above 50.
Conducted by: As prescribed for the class in the same CAR.
How long each medical lasts
| Class | Period of validity |
|---|---|
| Class 1 | One year up to the age of 60, and six-monthly thereafter. Six-monthly above 40 for single-crew operations. |
| Class 2 | Two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter. |
| Class 3 | Four years up to the age of 40, two years above 40 and up to 50, and one year above 50. |
One detail worth checking against anything else you read: Rule 39C was amended on 27 December 2019 to raise the age limit for the validity of the Class 1 medical examination of pilots from forty years to sixty. A page still saying the six-monthly band starts at forty is quoting the rule as it stood before 2020.
What the examination covers
The CAR groups the assessment into three heads.
Physical and mental
Visual and colour perception
Hearing
The standards follow ICAO Annex 1, Chapter 6, paragraphs 6.3.2 to 6.3.4. The CAR sets out what is assessed. It does not publish a pass rate, and no honest page can tell you in advance whether you will clear it.
Where DGCA says you can get it done
DGCA publishes the list of approved aeromedical evaluation centres and empanelled Class 1 examiners. This is that list as it stood on 27 August 2026. DGCA updates this list. Check the current version before travelling to a centre. We have no role in it and no view on which centre to choose.
| Centre | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME) | New Delhi | Air Force boarding centre |
| 5 Air Force Hospital, Medical Evaluation Cell (East) | Jorhat, Assam | Air Force boarding centre |
| Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Medical Evaluation Centre | Bengaluru | Air Force boarding centre |
| Dr. Balabhai Nanavati Hospital | Mumbai | Initial and re-initial Class 1 only |
| Indraprastha Apollo Hospital | New Delhi | All classes |
| Max Multi Specialty Centre | New Delhi | All classes |
| Medanta — The Medicity | Gurugram, Haryana | All classes |
| Apollo APHC Block | Chennai | All classes |
| Apollo Hospitals | Bengaluru | All classes |
| Apollo Hospitals | Hyderabad | All classes |
| Apollo Hospitals | Indore, Madhya Pradesh | All classes |
| Grant Medical Foundation, Ruby Hall Clinic | Pune | All classes |
| V M Medical Centre, Mirra's Aeromedical Centre | Mumbai | All classes |
If you are training from Delhi, 4 of the 13 are within reach without travel: Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Max Multi Specialty Centre, Medanta — The Medicity.
The rules behind all of this
Aircraft Rules, 1937, rule 39B — no licence or rating under rule 38 is issued or renewed unless the applicant is examined by an approved medical authority and meets the medical standards notified by the Director-General.
Under the same rule, the Director-General may require a flight crew member to undergo a medical examination at any time, where that is necessary in the interest of the safety of operations.
Rule 39C was amended on 27 December 2019 to raise the age limit for the validity of the Class 1 medical examination of pilots from forty years to sixty.
The order to do things in
Book the medical before committing money to a flying school. A student pilot licence 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.
The licence ladder those classes attach to runs SPL from age 16, PPL from age 17, CPL from age 18, ATPL from age 21. The computer number and the written papers are a separate track and need no medical certificate at all — a point worth knowing, because waiting for a medical before registering for examinations costs students a session every year.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Class 1 or a Class 2 medical to start pilot training?
A Class 2, to begin with. Student Pilot Licence (aeroplane, helicopter, glider, balloon, microlight) sits in the Class 2 list, and that is the licence you train on. The Class 1 is what the Commercial Pilot Licence (aeroplane and helicopter) needs, so you will need one before the licence you are actually training towards. Book the medical before committing money to a flying school. A student pilot licence 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.
How long is a DGCA Class 1 medical valid?
One year up to the age of 60, and six-monthly thereafter. Six-monthly above 40 for single-crew operations. That age boundary is current because rule 39C of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 was amended on 27 December 2019 to raise it from forty years to sixty. Any source still saying the six-monthly band starts at 40 is quoting the pre-2020 rule.
How long is a Class 2 medical valid?
Two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter.
Where can I do my Class 1 medical in Delhi?
Of the 13 centres on DGCA's list as of 27 August 2026, 4 are in Delhi and the NCR: Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME) (New Delhi), Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (New Delhi), Max Multi Specialty Centre (New Delhi), Medanta — The Medicity (Gurugram, Haryana). DGCA updates this list. Check the current version before travelling to a centre.
Who is allowed to conduct the examination?
Class 1: Air Force medical centres, approved civil medical centres, and DGCA-empanelled Class 1 medical examiners. Class 2: Any DGCA-empanelled Class 1 medical examiner, and Class 2 medical examiners holding an MBBS with approved aviation medicine training.
What does the medical actually test?
Physical and mental, Visual and colour perception, Hearing. The standards follow ICAO Annex 1, Chapter 6, paragraphs 6.3.2 to 6.3.4. The CAR sets out what is assessed. It does not publish a pass rate, and no honest page can tell you in advance whether you will clear it.
Can DGCA ask me to take a medical outside the normal schedule?
Under the same rule, the Director-General may require a flight crew member to undergo a medical examination at any time, where that is necessary in the interest of the safety of operations.
Which medical does an air traffic controller need?
Class 3. Four years up to the age of 40, two years above 40 and up to 50, and one year above 50. It is set by the same CAR as the pilot classes.
Does a Private Pilot Licence ever need a Class 1?
Yes, in one case: where instrument rating privileges are required. A Private Pilot Licence otherwise sits in the Class 2 list.
Will I pass?
That is the one question this page will not answer, and you should be wary of any page that does. The CAR sets out what is assessed. It does not publish a pass rate, and no honest page can tell you in advance whether you will clear it. Book early, be honest with the examiner, and get the answer from the people DGCA authorises to give it.
Sources
Read on 11 September 2026. Where two of these disagree, the later one governs and this page says so.
- –Aircraft Rules, 1937, rule 39B — medical standards (DGCA)
- –Amendment to rule 39C of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, 27 December 2019 (Ministry of Civil Aviation)
- –CAR Section 7, Series 'C', Part I, Rev. 6, 18 October 2022 — Medical Requirements and Examination for Flight Crew
- –List of DGCA approved aeromedical evaluation centres and empanelled Class 1 examiners, updated 27 August 2026 (DGCA)
Not sure which medical to book first?
We do not conduct medicals and we have no influence over the result — that sits entirely with the examiner DGCA authorises. What we can do is tell you which class your intended licence needs, where the approved centres are, and how to sequence the medical against your ground classes and examinations so you are not waiting on one to start the other.
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At a glance
Class 1
CPL and ATPL · 1 year to age 60, then 6-monthly
Class 2
SPL and PPL · 2 years to age 50, then 1 year
Class 3
Air traffic controllers
Ask a questionApproved centres in Delhi NCR
- ✓ Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME) — New Delhi
- ✓ Indraprastha Apollo Hospital — New Delhi
- ✓ Max Multi Specialty Centre — New Delhi
- ✓ Medanta — The Medicity — Gurugram, Haryana
DGCA list as of 27 August 2026