New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has dismissed recent media reports suggesting that a staff shortage is causing delays in issuance of pilot licences.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clarified that the application processing time for licences to trained pilots may vary depending upon the complexity of the application submitted.

“The indicative timeline published for Issue and Conversion of Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), by the DGCA is 20 and 30 working days, respectively. The DGCA has been meeting the indicative timelines despite an increase in the number of applications. Average timelines achieved for applications during 2023 for CPL Issue and Conversion is 22 and 31 working days,” said an official.

The DGCA official also claimed that the total number of CPL’s issued in the year 2022 was the highest in the last decade and this number had already been surpassed in September this year.

“The number of CPLs in 2023 is likely to be the highest-ever issued. The DGCA has been issuing licences and ratings in record numbers for the last two years (2022 & 2023) with the existing manpower. The number of licences and ratings issued has already seen an increase of 45 per cent as on August 31 compared to the entire year of 2022,” said the official.

While denying claims of staff shortage, the DGCA provided insight into its operational strength, revealing a sanctioned strength of 228 posts across various directorates.

Within the Flight Crew Licensing Directorate at DGCA headquarters, there is a sanctioned strength of 15 technical personnel, with 12 currently in active positions.

The DGCA also addressed concerns regarding Air Traffic Controllers Licensing and Aerodrome Licensing processes, explaining that the processing time includes the applicant's response time to issues raised by DGCA officers.

Regarding the Aerodrome Licensing Department, the DGCA indicated that, as per civil aviation requirements, the minimum processing period is around three months from the date of receiving a complete application and aerodrome manual.

However, this timeline may extend if the applicant fails to satisfactorily address observations or issues.

 “DGCA has also issued aerodrome licences to Shivamogga Airport, Rajkot International Airport and Utkela Airport in the last six months,” the official added.