DGCA India Adds Five More Civil Hospitals For Class 1 Medical Examination

In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the aviation safety watchdog, which is responsible for authorizing pilots with their flying licenses. Health is crucial for pilots, who are prohibited from flying if any physical parameter is not optimal.

Before receiving their flying licenses, pilots are required to clear some medical requirements. To get a Commercial Pilot License (CPL), pilots need to undergo Class 2 and Class 1 Medical examinations at DGCA-empanelled medical centers.

Now, DGCA has added five more civil hospitals for Class 1 medical examination.

DGCA Adds 5 More Civil Hospitals

A Class 1 Medical assessment is done to ensure that the pilot meets the physical and mental health standards for commercial flying. The validity of a class 1 medical certificate is 12 months. New pilots, who just cleared their DGCA written examinations are required to undergo Class 1 initial examination. After receiving the certificate, they are required to renew it annually.

Now, pilots can undergo the Class 1 initial medical examination at five more civil hospitals as follows:

• Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru
• Apollo Hospitals, Vijay Nagar, Indore
• Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
• Apollo Hospitals, Rajarhat, Kolkata
• Apollo Hospitals, Lucknow

From 17 June, DGCA license holders can get the Class 1 Medical Examination facilities at these hospitals.

As of last year, DGCA conducted the initial medical examination for Class 1 Medical at 8 centers, out of which six were Indian Air Force (IAF) Boarding Centres and two were civil hospitals. The two civil hospitals were Apollo Heart Centre in Chennai and Dr. Balabhai Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai Ville-Parle (West).

As of 2023, for the renewal of the Class 1 Medical examination, DGCA has authorized 23 centers within the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 37 Class 1 Medical examiners.

Record Number of CPLs Issued

In 2023, DGCA conducted the medical assessments of 25,512 flight crew and Air Traffic Control Officials (ATCOs). It approved a total of 27,719 flight crew license applications. Out of these, 1,622 were CPL licenses. This was the highest ever CPLs issued by DGCA in a single year in the last decade.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India will need around 7,000 more commercial pilots by 2027. The industry requires 1,000-1,200 more pilots every year to meet the growing demand. At present, the aircraft deliveries have been limited because of the supply chain issues. Hence, there are a lot of pilots, who have achieved their CPLs but are sitting idle because of a lack of vacancies.

By 2030, the aviation market in India will double. IndiGo will double its entire fleet. IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air have more than 1,500 jets on order. Airlines are now banking on international expansion plans. So, in the future, there will be a lot of demand for pilots. Airlines have already started their Cadet Pilot Programs to exploit this demand. IndiGo has been doing so for the past many years. They have CPPs in collaboration with 7-8 flying schools.

Air India has also launched its Cadet Pilot Programme. The first batch has reached the USA for training.

Conclusion: DGCA Expands Class 1 Medical Facilities

DGCA, the safety oversight authority of India has added five more civil hospitals as options for Class 1 Medical Examination. Previously, only 2 civil hospitals were available for this, alongside 6 IAF centers. In 2023, DGCA issued a record number of CPLs. With the number expanding each year, the DGCA will continue to add more hospitals to reduce the burden from the current ones.

What do you think about this addition of more hospitals from DGCA? Discuss in the comment section.