DGCA issues record 1,628 pilot licences in 2024

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued 1,628 commercial pilot licenses in 2024, the highest ever for any year.

The civil aviation ministry said record number of pilot licenses were issued by the DGCA last year.

As many as 1,628 Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPLs) were issued in 2024, marking an all-time high number in the history of Indian civil aviation, it said in a release.

"The number of CPLs have been increased by more than 2.5 times in the last eight years. The number of CPLs issued in India over the preceding years is as follows: 640 in 2018, 744 in 2019, 578 in 2020, 862 in 2021, 1,165 in 2022, 1,622 in 2023 and 1,347 in 2024," it said.

Providing a snapshot of key happenings in the country's civil aviation sector in 2024, the ministry also said it is closely monitoring fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms.

During the IndiGo operational crisis in December, the ministry said regulatory powers were invoked to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes to protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing.

"An official directive was issued to all airlines mandating strict adherence to the fare caps. These caps still remain in force until the situation fully stabilises.

"The objective of this directive was to maintain pricing discipline in the market, prevent any exploitation of passengers in distress and ensure that citizens who urgently need to travel, including senior citizens, students, and patients, are not subjected to financial hardship during this period," it added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.