Pilot licence now valid for 10 years, says civil aviation ministry

The validity period of a pilot licence has been increased from five to 10 years following the latest amendment to the aircraft rules, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a notification dated October 10.

According to the amendment, the validity period of the airline transport pilot’s licence (ATPL) and commercial pilot’s licence (CPL) has been extended to 10 years each.

They will be issued to pilots at the time when their licences are up for renewal.

Earlier, the validity of both ATPL and CPL was set at five years. In 2014, the pilot licence renewal period was enhanced from two to five years.

The fresh amendment has also extended the scope and power for the government to take action against anyone exhibiting “false lights” — lantern lights, kite lights and laser lights — in the vicinity of an aerodrome.

When such lights are flashed in the vicinity of an aerodrome, they can be mistaken for aeronautical ground lights or an aeronautical beacon and can endanger the safety of an aircraft and its passengers. They can also disrupt an aircraft’s operations and pose a hazard to the flight’s operating crew.

The radius of the vicinity around an aerodrome has been increased from five kilometres to five nautical miles (around 9.2 km). The notification added that the government may report such incidents if an individual fails to extinguish the false lights in the area concerned.

If any owner or person who is served a notice under the rule neglects it for 24 hours, the central government or any person authorised by it could enter the place and extinguish the light, the notification said. The government or authorised individual may also report the matter to the police station concerned for action under Section 281 or 283 or both of the Indian Penal Code, it added.