Licenses of all commercial pilots under scrutiny: DGCA

The licenses of 3000 to 4000 pilots are being scrutinised by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Avaiation (DGCA) following the arrest of a woman pilot on the charge of forging documents to procure the license.

"Commercial pilot licenses are being scrutinised following this incident," civil aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi told Press Trust of India.

The DGCA is scrutinising the commercial pilot licenses (CPL) of all the CPL holders and their documents.

Zaidi said the entire process will take a couple of weeks.

Parminder Kaur Gulati, a suspended pilot of Indigo Airlines, was apprehended by a team of Delhi Police's crime branch on March 8 following investigations into a complaint filed by the DGCA.

Gulati allegedly produced the forged marksheets of DGCA Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) test to get the commercial pilot licence.

With ATPL, one can become a co-pilot and to get a full-fledged commercial pilot licence one should have ATPL with adequate flying hours.

Accoriding to sources, Gulati had allegedly produced forged marksheets of ATPL examination conducted by the DGCA. She holds a valid commercial pilot licence.

Last year, during a flight landing in Goa by Gulati, technical errors were noticed and DGCA had constituted an inquiry to look into it.

Sources said that during investigations it came to light that Gulati had allegedly forged marksheets of the ATPL  examination, following which she was suspended by the airlines.