DGCA to audit flying training schools 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is carrying out special safety audit of flying schools in the country, the regulator announced today.

The audit comes in the wake of a fatal accident of a trainer aircraft at Jamshedpur last month.

The audit will be carried out in three phases between September-November to assess the safety standards, operational procedures and systemic deficiencies within flying training organisations to ensure the highest levels of safety and compliance. In all 33 schools will be audited as a part of the exercise.

Previously, DGCA had carried out a special audit of all schools in October 2022.

Last year, the DGCA issued 1,622 commercial pilot licences - the highest in a single year. These include both licence conversions of those who trained overseas and those who learnt flying within India.

Currently, Indian airlines have over 700 aircraft in their fleet and over 1,700 planes on order to be delivered over the next ten years. The government is looking to simplify regulations that will promote more students to take up flying training locally.

Earlier this week, the GST council decided a circular would be issued to clarify that flying training courses at approved schools are exempt from levy of GST.

To clarify by way of a circular that the approved flying training courses conducted by DGCA approved Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) are exempt from the levy of GST.