DGCA Class 1 Medical in Delhi NCR: Initial vs Renewal, and Where Each Is Done

A DGCA Class 1 medical is the fitness assessment you need before a commercial pilot licence can be issued. You take it first as an "initial" medical at one of 13 named centres, four of which are in Delhi NCR. After that, renewals are done at 18 Air Force centres or by empanelled examiners, within a set window before expiry.

What is the DGCA Class 1 medical, and who needs it?

The Class 1 medical is the higher of the two medical grades a pilot candidate meets on the way to a commercial licence. DGCA's own list describes it as "a requirement for commercial license". You do not take it first: the same list says an initial Class 1 is for a person who already holds a valid Class 2.

That sequence matters for planning. The order is Class 2 first, then the initial Class 1 at a centre DGCA names, then renewals for as long as you fly commercially. Every figure in this article comes from DGCA's own published lists of Class 1 centres and Class 2 examiners, both marked as updated on 27 August 2026. Where we add judgement of our own, we say so.

Source: DGCA, list of approved aeromedical evaluation centres and empanelled Class 1 examiners, updated 27 August 2026. The list is the public document; check it again before you book, because DGCA revises it.

What is the difference between an initial, a re-initial and a renewal Class 1 medical?

An initial medical is your first Class 1 and is done only at the named centres. A re-initial is a fresh initial required when your last Class 1 is more than two years old. A renewal keeps a current assessment alive and can be done at a wider set of places, including empanelled examiners.

The distinction decides where you may go, so identify your type before you ring anyone. DGCA's list tells candidates to check "whether the intended medical is an initial or a renewal medical" before seeking an appointment.

Initial medical

An initial medical is done "when a person with a valid Class 2 medical applies for the first time for a Class 1 Medical". For most CPL candidates this is the only type they meet in their first years.

Re-initial medical

If your last Class 1 medical is more than two years old, you do not renew. You sit a fresh initial. The list restricts this to the IAF boarding centres (the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bengaluru, AFCME in New Delhi and the Medical Evaluation Cell (East) in Jorhat) and to DGCA empanelled civil hospitals, citing a DGCA public notice dated 22 October 2025. A re-initial also needs a No Objection Certificate, covered below.

Renewal medical

A renewal is for a pilot whose Class 1 assessment is current, or has lapsed by less than two years since the last medical. It can be done at an Air Force centre or by a DGCA empanelled Class 1 examiner, which is why there are many more renewal locations than initial ones.

<A left-to-right flow of three connected stages: a Class 2 medical followed by an initial Class 1 medical at a named centre, then to repeating annual renewals, with a separate branch marked re-initial for a lapsed assessment>

Where can you take an initial Class 1 medical in Delhi NCR?

Four of the 13 initial Class 1 centres are in Delhi NCR: the Air Force Central Medical Establishment at Subroto Park, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital at Sarita Vihar, Max Multi Specialty Centre at Panchsheel Park, and Medanta in Gurugram. The other nine are in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, Pune and Jorhat.

DGCA's list says Class 1 examinations "are conducted at Thirteen (13) Centres", three of them Indian Air Force boarding centres and ten DGCA approved Aeromedical Evaluation Centres. The table gives every centre by city and the examinations it is authorised for.

Source: DGCA centre list, updated 27 August 2026. Rows 1, 6, 10 and 11 are the Delhi NCR centres. The list gives each centre's own email and telephone; we do not reproduce contact details because they change.

Two readings of the table are worth making. First, the Air Force centre at Subroto Park is the only one of the four run by the Air Force, and DGCA lists it under "Class 1 IAF Boarding Centres" alongside Bengaluru and Jorhat. Second, only one centre, Nanavati in Mumbai, is limited to Class 1 initial and re-initial medicals. The other twelve are authorised for every class and type.

<A simple outline map of India with thirteen small markers, four of them grouped tightly around Delhi and Gurugram and highlighted in amber, the other nine spread across Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, Pune and Jorhat in green>

Where can you take a Class 1 renewal medical in Delhi NCR?

Renewals are conducted at 18 Indian Air Force centres and by 55 DGCA empanelled civil Class 1 examiners, according to the list's own header. Five of the 18 Air Force centres are in Delhi NCR: AFCME, Air Force Station Palam, Hindon in Ghaziabad, Rajokri and Gurgaon. The examiner table also carries Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Dwarka addresses.

This is the widest choice a pilot has. A renewal does not have to be done at a hospital on the initial list. A candidate based in Dwarka, for example, can find the examiner table lists at least three entries with Dwarka addresses, and Air Force Station Palam is also on the Air Force list.

Source: DGCA centre list, updated 27 August 2026. The header states 55 examiners; the numbered table we read runs to entry 53. We have not reconciled the difference, so use the list itself rather than our count.

One practical check before you book with an examiner: the list carries an empanelment period against each name, for example "31 Dec 2026 to 31 Dec 2029" or "07 Apr 2026 to 06 Apr 2029". An examiner is only valid for your purpose while that period runs. Read the dates on the current list, not on an old copy.

How long is a Class 1 medical valid, and when can you renew it?

DGCA's list states that a Class 1 assessment is valid for one year for a person under 60 in multi-crew commercial air transport operations, or six months for a person above 40 in single-crew commercial air transport operations or on instructional duties. A renewal can be done from 45 days before expiry up to the expiry date.

The list attributes these periods to Paragraph 5 of CAR Section 7 Series C Part I, Issue II dated 12 October 2017, Revision 7 dated 1 October 2025. We cite the periods as DGCA's list reports them and have not re-read the CAR itself for this article. The CAR is the controlling text, so confirm there before relying on a figure at the boundary of an age band.

Source: DGCA centre list, updated 27 August 2026, citing CAR Section 7 Series C Part I, Revision 7.

A worked example of the 45-day window

Take an illustrative assessment that expires on 30 June 2027. Counting back 45 days gives 16 May 2027. The renewal may be done on any day from 16 May 2027 to 30 June 2027. Doing it on 10 May is outside the window, and the earlier 2023 version of DGCA's list said an early or late renewal needed a No Objection Certificate. The current list is not as explicit on that point, so ask the centre.

A worked example of the two-year line

Take an illustrative last medical dated 10 January 2026. Per the list, a renewal after the validity has lapsed is still a renewal as long as it falls no later than two years after that date, which is 10 January 2028. After that date the same pilot needs a fresh initial. The practical lesson is plain: a lapsed medical is simpler to fix in the first two years than after, because a fresh initial narrows the choice of centre and adds an NOC step.

<A horizontal timeline showing a shaded renewal window opening 45 days before an expiry marker and closing at the expiry marker, with a longer pale bar after the expiry marker ending at a two-year line from the last medical>

What is the No Objection Certificate for a Class 1 medical?

A No Objection Certificate, or NOC, is a clearance from the DGCA Medical Directorate that an aircrew member must obtain before a re-initial, a post-temporary-unfit or a special medical. DGCA's list says the application is made through the eGCA portal, and it publishes a user manual for the process.

The NOC applies to the unusual cases, not to an ordinary first Class 1 or an on-time renewal. A candidate who takes an initial medical after a valid Class 2 does not need one under the list's wording. A candidate whose last Class 1 is more than two years old does.

The list names three situations that need it: re-initial, "Post TU" medicals (which we read as after a period of temporary unfitness), and special medicals. For all three it refers to CAR Section 7 Series C Part I. If you are in one of these categories, start the NOC application early, because the medical itself cannot be scheduled around it.

The list also gives the Medical Directorate's own contact numbers for queries. We do not reproduce them here; take them from the current list.

What changed between the 2023 list and the 2026 list?

Comparing the 27 August 2026 list with an earlier DGCA edition dated 2 March 2023 shows three changes: the renewal window now opens 45 days before expiry instead of one month, the re-initial centres are now two groups rather than six named Air Force sites, and the CAR revision cited moved from Revision 5 to Revision 7.

This is the reason to be wary of any guide, including this one, that was written from an older copy. Many pages still online repeat the earlier wording.

Sources: DGCA list, updated 27 August 2026 and DGCA list, updated 2 March 2023.

Where does the Class 2 medical fit, and where is it taken near Dwarka?

The Class 2 medical comes first. DGCA publishes a separate list of empanelled Class 2 examiners, grouped by Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern region and updated on 27 August 2026. The Northern region section includes entries with Dwarka, Delhi and Gurugram addresses, so a Delhi NCR candidate can usually avoid travelling.

The Class 2 list is a table of individual doctors, each with a clinic or hospital address, contact details and an empanelment end date. We do not name them. The point for planning is the contrast with the Class 1 initial: a Class 1 initial is confined to 13 centres, while the Class 2 list spreads across four regions.

For a candidate in West Delhi, the Class 2 list shows at least five entries with Dwarka addresses, which makes Class 2 the easy step geographically. The harder step is the initial Class 1, where the nearest named centres are Sarita Vihar, Panchsheel Park, Subroto Park or Gurugram.

Source: DGCA, list of empanelled Class 2 medical examiners, updated 27 August 2026. Class 2 validity periods are not stated in that list, so we give none.

<A three-step staircase rising from left to right: a Class 2 clinic building at the bottom step, an initial Class 1 centre in the middle, and a commercial licence document at the top, with a small pause marker between the second and third steps>

When in your training should you take the Class 1 medical?

DGCA's list does not say when in your training to take it. It states only that Class 1 is a requirement for a commercial licence. Our own view, not a DGCA rule, is to take the initial Class 1 before paying for flying, because a finding then decides whether the rest of the spend makes sense.

This is judgement, so weigh it as such. Three practical reasons support it:

1. A medical finding is binary for the licence. A candidate who cannot hold a Class 1 cannot hold a commercial licence, whatever else they complete.
2. The initial Class 1 is the most restricted step by location. Booking takes lead time, and the centres are few.
3. Theory study does not wait on the medical. The CPL theory papers require a computer number and 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics, and ground school attendance is not required. See CPL eligibility after 12th for the sourced detail. You can study while the medical is scheduled.

The counter-argument is cost and timing: if you are still deciding whether to proceed, an early Class 1 can lapse before you use it. A Class 1 assessment is valid for a limited period, so an early one only helps if you intend to proceed within that period, or are willing to renew it.

What does DGCA's list not tell you?

It publishes no fee, no list of tests, and no list of conditions that cause a finding of unfit. It also does not state how long an initial appointment takes to obtain. Any page that quotes a Class 1 medical fee, a test list or a waiting time is relying on something other than this document.

We have not quoted a fee or a test list in this article for that reason. Our DGCA medical page and the CAR itself are where those answers belong, and each should be read against its date.

Ask the centre for the fee in writing, including what is covered, before you book. That is the same discipline we recommend for any training cost. Our guide to the DGCA exam process covers the theory side of the same planning.