A day in this work
You fly passengers or cargo, responsible for hundreds of lives on every flight. Checklists, weather, teamwork and calm under pressure.
Ways in
- Class 12 (Physics and Maths have long been required; check the current DGCA rule), a Class 1 medical, then a Commercial Pilot Licence (about 200 flying hours)
- Government academy (IGRUA) or DGCA-approved flying schools
- Airline cadet programmes
After Class 10
Science with Maths (PCM)
Entrance exams to know
- DGCA CPL theory exams
- IGRUA entrance test
- Airline cadet selection
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 2 to 3
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- above ₹25 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- above ₹25 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- above ₹12 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes little of the daily work.
Training is very expensive and hiring moves in cycles. Check the medical standards before you commit.
Try this week
Book a Class 2 medical check with a DGCA-approved doctor before spending on anything else.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.