India – India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed a committee to review, develop policy, and set the regulatory framework for implementing the Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) system in India, as the country faces a projected requirement for 12,000-15,000 new pilots over the next decade to support more than 2,000 aircraft on order — but industry critics warn the proposed pathway could undermine pilot skill development and the broader training ecosystem.

The DGCA committee's mandate spans regulation review, policy development, training curricula development, and guidelines for airline-training school partnerships, with the MPL pitched as a fast-track route to airline cockpits that merges traditional pilot training and type rating into a single streamlined program.
The MPL pathway requires just 70-80 hours of actual flying on single-engine aircraft plus approximately 140 hours of simulator training, compared to the traditional CPL route requiring 200 hours of flying experience (approximately 90% in actual aircraft) before a separate type rating course.
India has more than 2,000 new aircraft on order for delivery over the next decade, and airlines fear that reliance solely on the existing CPL pathway will produce an acute pilot shortage within four to five years — driving the push for MPL as a faster production model.
Critics argue MPL graduates risk becoming "flight managers" rather than fully developed aviators, with Captain Mihir Bhagvati, President of The Bombay Flying Club's College of Aviation, warning that "general aviation and the skill of piloting will be killed completely in this bargain."
A compromise has been proposed by the Indian flight training industry stakeholders: maintaining 150 hours in actual aircraft and 100 in simulators, rather than the MPL standard of only 70 flying hours, to preserve core piloting skills while still accelerating the training timeline.

Statements

"India has more than 2,000 new aircraft on order for delivery over the next decade — a fleet expansion that will require an estimated 12,000-15,000 new pilots," said Atiesh Mishra, Director at AJM Jet Management.
"Instead of making pilots, they are making managers for the flight. General aviation and the skill of piloting will be killed completely in this bargain," said Captain Mihir Bhagvati, President of The Bombay Flying Club's College of Aviation and DGCA-designated pilot examiner.

Source: DGCA

Asian Regulator Forms Committee to Implement MPL as Critics Warn of Pilot Skill and Career Flexibility Risks

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