DGCA eyes new policy after trans pilot denied licence

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is working to prepare a policy for licensing of transpersons, a senior government official said, a move that is triggered by the recent controversy of the regulator denying medical approval to a Kerala-based pilot, a trans person who was on hormone therapy. Even though the policy is in its early stages, the DGCA is expected to base its regulations on norms laid out by global watchdogs such as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“Currently, there are no restrictions for any trans person to get a pilot licence as long as they comply with the various provisions that include age, medical fitness, knowledge, experience, etc.