India’s aviation sector will need approximately 20,000 pilots in the near future as the industry is witnessing exponential growth, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Thursday.

The Minister was speaking at the launch of the ‘Electronic Personnel Licence (EPL) for Pilots’, which is a digital version of a personnel licence, that will replace traditional physical licences for pilots.

The new system will be securely accessible via the ‘eGCA Mobile Application’ to ensure a seamless and transparent process in alignment with the Centre’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives.

India’s aviation sector is witnessing healthy growth. The country plans to create 50 airports during the next five years.

Besides, domestic airlines have ordered 1,700 aircraft. At present, India has over 800 aircraft.

“Pilots are the backbone of civil aviation, and with eGCA and EPL, we are leveraging innovative, tech-driven solutions to enhance their comfort and employability globally, while providing real-time access to their credentials to support security operations,” the Minister said.

Advanced system

Per the Ministry of Civil Aviation, India has now become the second country, after China, to implement this advanced system following approval from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

According to MoCA, prior to the EPL, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation was issuing licences to pilots in the smart card format. The regulator had issued 62,000 card licences, to date.

The total licences issued in the 2024 requiring printed cards stood at approximately 20,000, which is an average of 1,667 cards per month.

“With the launch of EPL, the need for printed cards will be reduced in a phased manner, significantly streamlining the licencing process,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“Additionally, this shift will have a positive impact on environmental sustainability by reducing paper and plastic usage.”

Published on February 20, 2025