May 28, 2025 - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is planning to remove the mandatory requirement of having studied Science subjects in Class 12 for pilot training. If this comes through then those who studied Arts or Commerce in school may soon have the chance to fulfill their dream of becoming commercial pilots. 

According to sources, the DGCA has recommended to the Ministry of Civil Aviation that the nearly 40-year-old rule mandating a Science background for pilot training be scrapped.

India is currently the only country where Science subjects are still mandatory for Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training. 

If this requirement is lifted, students of Arts and Commerce will be able to undergo commercial pilot training. However, they will still have to meet the same medical and other eligibility tests as other candidates. 

An official shared that the DGCA's recommendation is currently under consideration by the Ministry. Once approved, it will be sent to the Ministry of Law for notification. After that, the official notification regarding the rule change will be issued.

Until the mid-1990s in India, those who had merely passed 10th grade, regardless of their stream, were eligible to pursue pilot training. However, later regulations were amended to require Physics and Mathematics in Grade 12 for a CPL. 

Officials in favour of the change, stress that this requirement is outdated, as basic Physics and Mathematics are already taught during earlier school years.

Source: Media Reports