Parliament Question: Digital license for Pilots

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO : 101 th (TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 February 2026) DIGITAL LICENSE FOR PILOTS *101. DR. SIKANDER KUMAR Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) with the launch of the digital license, the timeline set by Government for completely phasing out traditional physical smart card licenses for pilots; (b) whether Government has made any plan to handle verification in regions with limited internet connectivity, given the license is accessed via the eGCA mobile application; and (c) in light of the shift to 100 per cent digital credentials, measures that have been implemented to protect the eGCA platform from cyber threats and ensure real-time verification remains functional during server outages? ANSWER MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu) (a) to (c): A statement is laid on the table of house. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) IN RESPECT OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 101 FOR REPLY ON 09.02.2026 REGARDING "DIGITAL LICENSE FOR PILOTS" BY DR. SIKANDER KUMAR (a): The first phase of Electronic Pilot License (EPL) for the issue of Commercial Pilot License and Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence (FRTOL) was launched on 20th February, 2025. Subsequently, Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) have been brought under the ambit of EPL on 21st January, 2026. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has adopted a phased and service- linked transition approach for discontinuation of physical smart card Licenses. Further, physical smart card license is converted into EPL, whenever a pilot applies for renewal, rating endorsement or other license-related services through eGCA. (b): Yes, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines, the EPL issued through the eGCA incorporates both dynamic and offline security features to ensure usability and verification of license even in areas with limited or intermittent internet connectivity. (c): The DGCA has implemented a comprehensive, multi-layered cyber security and infrastructure resilience framework to protect the eGCA platform and ensure uninterrupted service delivery. Key cyber security measures include the deployment of an F5 Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Two-factor authentication (2FA). Further, in order to have infrastructure resilience, the solution is hosted on a MeitY-empanelled Cloud Service Provider (AWS) and deployed across multiple availability zones. This ensures high availability and continuity of services enabling real-time verification to remain operational even in the event of a server or regional outage. In addition, the system is secured through multiple controls such as perimeter firewalls, deep security solutions, application-level security, network security groups, network access control lists (NACLs) and encrypted HTTPS-based access. *****