The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has mandated that all commercial pilots in India must now undergo their periodic medical examinations exclusively at Indian Air Force (IAF) centres, replacing the previous system that included empanelled private hospitals and DGCA-approved doctors . This change comes on the heels of a recent fatal incident in which a co-pilot suffered cardiac arrest during a flight — a tragedy attributed to undisclosed heart issues that allegedly slipped through falsified medical reports .

However, airlines have voiced strong concerns. They fear that IAF-level military medical standards may be overly stringent compared to civil aviation norms, potentially grounding a large number of pilots and precipitating severe crew shortages and schedule disruptions . There are also logistical challenges: only three IAF boarding centres (Delhi, Jorhat, Bengaluru) are currently equipped, forcing pilots into multi-day appointments and straining IAF capacity, which isn’t structured to handle civil aviation volumes

The Airlines Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) and the Federation of Indian Pilots have criticized the move, urging the DGCA to align its medical evaluations with ICAO civilian standards, rather than military benchmarks. They argue the policy could lead to a manpower crunch and enable higher insurance premiums for airlines.

sources