Foreign Training Shift: Over 40% Of New Indian Commercial Pilots Trained Abroad In First Half Of 2026

Mumbai: ​In a notable reversal of a multi-year downward trend, the share of Indian commercial pilot licences (CPLs) granted to cadets trained at foreign Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) has climbed back above the 40% mark in the first half of 2026.

540 foreign-trained cadets among 1,331 total licences

​According to official data presented by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, cadets returning from overseas institutions accounted for 40.57% of all new CPLs issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) through June 30. The resurgence highlights the ongoing reliance on foreign flight schools despite aggressive regulatory reforms and infrastructure expansions intended to build a robust domestic training capacity.

​The Ministry’s data reveals that while domestic training capacity expanded significantly over recent years, foreign-trained cadets continue to represent a substantial portion of India's new aviators.

Total CPL issuance also on the rise

​The share of CPLs issued to foreign-trained cadets had steadily dropped from 47.12% in 2022 down to 37.22% in 2025. However, the data for the first six months of 2026 shows a sharp uptick with 40.57% of the cadets receiving their licenses from foreign FTOs. ​Out of the 1,331 total CPLs issued in the first six months of 2026, 540 went to cadets who completed their training at foreign academies, compared to 791 trained domestically.

Notably, the total number of CPLs issued to cadets has also shown an upward trend with at 1,331 licences issued in the firsy six months of 2026, against the total 1,652 licences issued in 2025.

Govt eases norms, cuts costs to boost local training

​Responding to questions regarding domestic training constraints, the Ministry clarified that India currently houses 41 DGCA-approved FTOs operating across 63 bases with a fleet exceeding 400 aircraft.

​Under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 7 Series D Part I, which mandates a strict 'Aircraft : Instructor : Student' ratio of 1:1:10, domestic FTOs hold a theoretical capacity to train approximately 3,500 students at any given point in time.

Weather, airspace, fleet gaps still push pilots abroad

The Minister also highlighted that the government has introduced several policy and structural measures to streamline operations, make training affordable, and retain cadets within the country. This includes inflight visibility adjustments from 5 km to 3 km as well as instructor pool and exam cadence. Moreover, flight instructor rating checks have been delegated directly to FTOs and the cool-off period for second attempts in oral exams was slashed to 30 days. Additionally, oral examination boards for assistant flight instructors and flight instructors now run on a monthly frequency.

The Ministry highlight a liberalised FTO policy that completely abolished airport royalties and significantly reduced land rentals. Flying courses conducted by DGCA-approved FTOs remain GST-exempt, and simulator integration is permitted under DGCA regulations to cut down flight hours and expense. It also highlighted the introduction of a standardised FTO ranking framework to foster safety and quality standards.

​Despite the domestic capacity of 3,500 seats, the jump back to a 40.57% share for foreign academies underlines persistent bottlenecks that push aspiring commercial pilots abroad, such as weather-related flight delays, airspace constraints, and fleet availability at home. According to industry experts, domestic FTOs will need to translate regulatory ease into faster flight hour accumulation if India is to permanently reduce its reliance on overseas pilot pipelines.