DGCA turns paperless, will offer all licences online by February-end

Civil aviation regulator to launch mobile app for pilots

Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) will offer all its licensing and approval services online and launch a mobile app for pilots by February end.

The DGCA provides over 200 different types of services which includes issue, validation and renewal of licences, approvals to training schools, maintenance and repair units among others. It certifies and approves airports and issues permits for flight operations. Permissions for carriage of dangerous goods like arms or explosives too are given by the regulator.

While till now all these services involved paperwork and visits to DGCA offices, the civil aviation regulator began digitisation exercise in December 2019. The project called e-governance for civil aviation was proposed in the National Civil Aviation Policy of 2017.

Last summer the regulator roped in Tata Consultancy Services to design and execute the project while consultancy firm PwC was appointed to audit the work. The total project cost is over Rs 170 crore which includes expenses towards operations and maintenance. 

 

"Digitisation is being carried out in phases. While there has been a slight delay due to Covid-19 we are on track to complete the exercise and provide all services online by February end. This will make it easier for users to apply and track their files," said Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Kumar. 

So far around 100 types of services such as issue or renewal of pilots licences, permission of carriage for dangerous goods, registration of aircraft etc is available online while those related to aircraft engineers, flight training schools, maintenance repair units will be available online by February end. Digitisation and scanning of all files at the DGCA offices will  be over by January end.

"So far over 18,600 pilots in the country, which is nearly 95 per cent of total, have registered with us. We have already changed the licences from booklet to card format. We are also launching a mobile app for pilots for licence application and renewal. The app is under final phase of testing before its release on the Android platform," Kumar said.