Type rating in India: what it is and how pilots get one

A type rating in India is the endorsement on your pilot licence that allows you to fly one particular aircraft type, such as an Airbus A320, a Boeing 737 or an ATR 72. Your commercial pilot licence proves you can fly. The type rating proves you can fly that specific aircraft, with its systems, procedures and handling, to the standard DGCA expects.

In practice, you get a type rating after your licence, through a course at a DGCA-approved training organisation or an operator with an approved programme. The course combines technical study, an exam and simulator training, and it ends with checks. This guide explains the rules behind it, where the training happens according to DGCA's own list, and what to check before you commit money.

What a type rating is, in plain terms

A pilot licence is not a blanket permission to fly every aircraft. Larger and more complex aircraft each need their own endorsement. Each airliner type has its own systems, cockpit layout, limits and standard procedures. A pilot needs training on that type and a test on it before the licence carries that aircraft.

So a pilot who holds an A320 rating is qualified on the A320 only. Moving to a B737 or an ATR means a new type rating course for that aircraft. Whether you pay for the course yourself or an airline trains you after selection depends on the employer, so ask before you spend.

Where a type rating fits in the pilot path

The usual order in India is a DGCA medical, ground subjects, flying training at a flying school, then the commercial pilot licence. Our guide on how to become a commercial pilot in India covers those steps, and our explainer on the DGCA Class 1 and Class 2 medical covers the medical. You can compare training bases in our flight school directory.

A type rating sits after that. It is the step that turns a licence holder into someone an airline or charter operator can put on a particular fleet. It does not replace any part of the licence process.

The DGCA rule behind type rating training

DGCA calls type rating training "endorsement training". For aeroplanes, the rule is Civil Aviation Requirement Section 7, Series B, Part XIX. According to a TeamLease RegTech summary of the notification, Issue III (notification DGCA-22024/7/2022-FSD) was issued on 21 January 2026 and took effect immediately. The main points reported:

• It sets standard requirements for endorsement (type rating) training on aeroplanes used in scheduled, non-scheduled and general aviation operations.
• It applies to pilot licence holders who do the training at Approved Training Organisations in India or in any ICAO Contracting State, and to operators holding ATRP approvals.
• Both the trainee and the training organisation or operator must meet the prerequisites before training starts.
• It was issued under Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, with reference to Rule 41, which covers flying experience and tests for licences and ratings.
• It must be read with CAR Section 7, Series G, Part I, on the recognition of foreign licences.
• The earlier need to get a No Objection Certificate from DGCA's Flight Standards Directorate was dropped.

The CAR itself sets the detailed syllabus, the prerequisites and the checks. Those details can change with each revision, so read the current issue on the DGCA website before you sign up, and ask the training organisation which issue its course follows.

The technical paper for larger aircraft

DGCA runs pilot exams through its Pariksha portal. The Pariksha user manual for flight crew licence exams (Issue III, October 2024) sets out how the aircraft specific technical paper works:

• To sit the technical specific or technical performance paper for an aeroplane above 5,700 kg maximum take-off weight, or for a twin-engine helicopter, the candidate must upload a certificate showing completed ground training on that type.
• That ground training must come from a DGCA-approved institute.
• The same certificate requirement applies to candidates for the Airline Transport Pilot Licence.
• Candidates update their profile with the DGCA-approved ground training course before they can appear for these papers.
• On the DGCA Pariksha portal, a candidate is initially allowed to sit the technical paper for only one specific aircraft type in a session.

Where type rating training happens: DGCA's ATO list

DGCA publishes a list of Approved Training Organisations, updated as on 30 September 2026. It has 10 entries, each with its location and the aircraft types it is approved for:

• Boeing Singapore Training and Flight Services Pte. Limited, Singapore: B777, B787.
• Flight Simulation Technique Centre Private Limited (FSTC), Gurugram and Hyderabad: A320, B737-NG/MAX, Q400, ATR-72 (600).
• CAE Simulation Training Private Limited (CSTPL), Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bengaluru: A320, B737 MAX, ATR.
• Airbus India Private Limited (AIPL), New Delhi: A320.
• Air India Limited ATO, Gurugram: B787, B737 MAX.
• HATS-OFF Helicopter Training, Bengaluru: S365, Bell 412, Dhruv.
• AAG Center for Aviation Training (ACAT), Chennai: A320.
• Etihad Aviation Training (EAT), Abu Dhabi, UAE: A320.
• Airbus India Training Center (AITC), Gurugram: A320.
• GEN 24 Flybiz Private Limited, Mumbai: A320.

From the list: eight of the 10 organisations are in India and two are abroad. Seven list the A320, three list a B737 variant, two list the B787 and two list the ATR. HATS-OFF in Bengaluru is the only entry on the list for helicopter types. Gurugram appears more than any other city.

Choosing which type to train on

The type you train on matters a lot, because a rating is only useful where that aircraft flies. Before you choose, look at which airlines and operators fly the type. Our airline directory and our guide to India's airlines and their fleets show the aircraft each scheduled operator has on DGCA's list.

Business jets and helicopters on charter permits are a separate market. If you are aiming for charter flying, the charter operator directory shows the types each operator flies. Charter crews also work under their own duty and rest limits, which BookAir explains in its piece on crew duty limits on long charter days.

A proposal to watch: the multi-crew pilot licence

In June 2026, Business Standard reported a Reuters story on a draft government panel report proposing a Multi-Crew Pilot Licence for India. Under the draft, cadets would log 100 to 120 hours in training aircraft, with at least 20 hours solo, and do much of the remaining practical training in airliner simulators. The report said airlines had been asked to respond, IndiGo backed the idea in consultations, and the Association of Flight Training Organisations asked for at least 150 hours in real aircraft. It was a proposal, not a rule. Until DGCA notifies a change, the current route applies: licence first, then type rating.

Engineers get type ratings too

Pilots are not the only ones with type ratings. Under CAR-66, an aircraft maintenance engineer must have the licence endorsed with the relevant aircraft rating to certify work on a specific type, normally after completing type training. Our guide to the AME licence in India explains that career.

Checks before you pay for a type rating

• Confirm the organisation is on DGCA's current ATO list and that the exact type and variant you want is listed against it.
• Ask which issue of CAR Section 7, Series B, Part XIX the course follows, and what prerequisites you must meet before day one.
• Ask what the fee covers in writing: ground school, simulator sessions, checks, and any extra sessions if you need them.
• Ask whether the course includes the DGCA-approved ground training certificate you need for the Pariksha technical paper.
• Check which operators fly the type today, so the rating matches real jobs.
• If an airline is recruiting, ask whether it trains selected pilots itself before you buy a rating on your own.

Prices for type ratings are not published by DGCA, and AIR BITOLA does not quote them. Get written quotes from more than one approved organisation and compare what each one includes. For the wider picture on training choices, see how to choose a DGCA flight school and our learning hub.

Common questions

Sources

• DGCA: Approved Training Organisations, updated as on 30 September 2026
• DGCA Pariksha: User manual for flight crew licence examination, Issue III, October 2024
• TeamLease RegTech: DGCA endorsement training requirements for aeroplanes (CAR Section 7, Series B, Part XIX, Issue III)
• DGCA: CAR-66, Licencing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, Issue III
• Business Standard: Govt panel proposes simulator-heavy pilot licence to ease crew shortage (June 2026)
• BookAir: Crew duty limits on long charter days

General information, checked against the sources above on the date published. It is not legal, regulatory or medical advice. Rules change, so confirm with DGCA or the relevant authority before acting.