How to Become a Commercial Pilot in India: A Step-by-Step Guide

A career as a pilot is respected and promising. A pilot controls an aircraft and navigates it safely. While the job is highly demanding, it is also very satisfying. The most common types of pilots are commercial pilots and airline pilots. Here, we will discuss more about the career path of a commercial pilot in India.

It is not the earliest step in the journey of becoming a pilot, but it certainly gets you ready to fly an aircraft for commercial purposes. So, for starting your career as a pilot, a CPL is a must-have. Now, let us go through the aircraft pilot requirementsfor getting a CPL.

The responsibility of a commercial pilot is to carry a large number of passengers. Simultaneously, knowing that you have joined an elite club of professionals is enriching. Only 0.6 to 0.7 per cent of the world’s population are pilots, and 0.3 to 0.4 per cent are commercial pilots. There are about 15,000 to 20,000 pilots in India, only 0.0015% of the total population.

Commercial pilots also get many perks, including a high salary, insurance and travel benefits, and paid time off. 

The procedure for becoming a commercial pilot is quite different from the JEE, NEET, or NDA exams. After completing the tests, exams, and flying requirements proscribed by the DGCA, one should apply to the DGCA for a Commercial Pilot License (CPL). Completing all the requirements takes a little time. 

You must pass the DGCA written exams and then complete at least 250 hours of flying. Once all the requirements are fulfilled and you are medically fit to get a CPL, before competing for the DGCA exams, you should be at least 18 years of age and have passed 12th with Physics and Mathematics as subjects.

If you did not have both these subjects in the 12th standard, you can also pass them privately to become eligible for getting a CPL.

After getting your hands on a commercial flight license, you can take up a job as a pilot in various Airlines, on the lookout for qualified pilots because of the ongoing expansion in the Indian Aviation Industry.  There are also jobs in charter companies and private entities to fly planes as commercial pilots.

You can also join any flying school to work as a pilot instructor.  Here, your job will be to train aspiring pilots with theoretical and practical experience as a pilot. 

First, you need to apply to become a pilot in an airline, followed by an Interview with the panel of experts. The interview consists of an exam where questions from the CPL exam syllabus are asked, as well as a psychometric test to evaluate personality. Finally, an interview follows these exams. 

Upon clearing the interview, a Letter of Intent (LOI) is issued by the Airline, and you can join the Airline on the date mentioned in the letter. At the start, you join an Airline as a Junior First Officer or a Trainee First Officer; the vocabulary depends on which Airline you choose.

As a JFO, you start earning ₹1 Lakh to ₹1.5 Lakhs on a monthly basis. As a JFO, you will be a trainee pilot who will be trained to fly a large-passenger aircraft. The rank of JFO lasts approximately 5-6 months, after which you will get a promotion to First Officer. The initial pay of a First Officer is around ₹24 Lakhs to ₹30 Lakhs yearly, on the basis of the Airline, which continues to increase with growing flying experience.

With the growth in your career as a commercial pilot in your career as a commercial pilot and completing 1500 hours of flying, you can pass additional tests and exams of DGCA and get an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).  When you submit your application for an Airline Transport pilot license, you should have at least completed your graduation, and your age should be at least 21 years.

Getting an ATPL is easy because you have been a commercial pilot for quite some time now. Airlines want ATPL holders, as they can work as captains while flying an aircraft. 

While a First Officer is competent only for co-pilot duties, the Captain works as a Pilot-in-Command and is accountable for the technical and administrative management of a flight and its safety. That is why any pilot ranked as a Captain has quite hefty pay. Captains in India earn between ₹ 7 Lakhs and ₹8.5 Lakhs per month, amounting to ₹80 Lakhs to ₹90 Lakhs per annum.

Once you are a Captain, there is no looking back. With the increasing flying experience, you can upgrade your qualifications even further, which will help you to increase your salary and perks.

If you dream of getting a CPL under your belt, then you must be well aware of the importance of an aviation academy in India for doing a pilot course. Since there is a substantial monetary investment involved in the pilot training of commercial pilot license courses, you should be very sure to make the right decision as far as the choice of flight school is concerned.

 We tick all the boxes for being one of the best aviation training institutes in Delhi. We have best-in-class training facilities, aircraft, simulators, and seasoned aviators. Most importantly, we offer competitive pricing compared to all of our competitors. So, there is absolutely no reason for you to think twice before enrolling with us if you want to chase your dreams in the right way. We put our best foot forward in providing the students with all the training and support required by them to become drone or aircraft pilots.