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    How DGCA Ranks Flying Schools, and How to Use the Ranking

    Written by Flying Star Aviator Academics Team · Last updated

    Does DGCA rank flying training organisations in India?

    Yes. DGCA introduced a ranking framework for approved Flying Training Organisations with effect from 1 October 2025, scoring each FTO out of 100 across five weighted parameter groups and placing it in band A+, A, B or C. Rankings are published twice a year. In the first ranking, covering September 2024 to August 2025, no organisation reached A or A+. The framework is published in full, which means you can read the criteria yourself rather than take any school's word for its standing.

    Sources: DGCA Public Notice F. No: DGCA-16017/10/2025-DFT, 30 September 2025

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    The four bands

    A single overall percentage score places the organisation in one band. There is no separate qualitative judgement.

    BandScoreStatus
    A+85% and aboveNo organisation reached this band in the first ranking.
    A70% to 84.99%None in the first ranking; one in the second.
    B50% to 69.99%The largest band in both rankings so far.
    CBelow 50%Receives an improvement notice from DGCA.

    Sources: DGCA Public Notice F. No: DGCA-16017/10/2025-DFT, 30 September 2025

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    What the score is made of

    Five groups, weighted. The sub-weights in brackets are percentage points of the total, so student-to-aircraft ratio alone is worth twice as much as the entire fee-transparency, placement and financial-assistance provision combined.

    Parameter groupWeightWhat it scores
    Operational aspects40%Student-to-aircraft ratio (10), student-to-instructor ratio (10), fleet-to-maintenance-engineer ratio (10), fleet size (5), ground school and simulator availability (5)
    FTO performance20%Average time to complete 175 flying hours (10), aircraft utilisation over the last six months (5), trainee completion-to-enrolment ratio (5)
    Safety standards20%Accident count (18), incident count (2)
    Compliance standards10%Level-I safety observations (5), breath analyser violations (5)
    Assistance to students10%Grievance resolution (4), financial assistance (2), placement support (2), fee transparency (2)

    Read that first row again before choosing a school. The single largest block in the framework is not safety or reputation; it is whether the organisation has enough aircraft, instructors and engineers for the number of students it has taken on.

    Sources: DGCA Public Notice F. No: DGCA-16017/10/2025-DFT, 30 September 2025

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    What the rankings have shown so far

    The first ranking, published with the notice that created the framework and covering 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025, placed thirteen organisations in band B and twenty-two in band C. None reached A or A+. That is the regulator's own assessment of the sector at the point the framework began.

    A second ranking was released in April 2026 and, according to press reporting of the announcement, placed one organisation in band A for the first time. We have not read the second list in the original DGCA document, so we do not restate its contents here. Read it from DGCA directly.

    Flying Star Aviator is a ground school and career-guidance organisation and is not itself an FTO, so it does not appear in these rankings and has no grade to quote. Flying training happens at partner FTOs, and this framework is one of the few genuinely independent instruments available for judging them.

    How to use the ranking when choosing a school

    1. 1

      Read the parameter weights, not just the letter

      Forty per cent of the score is ratios: students per aircraft, students per instructor, fleet per engineer. Those are the numbers that decide whether you fly this month or wait, and they are exactly what a prospectus does not print.

    2. 2

      Ask about the ten per cent for time-to-175-hours

      DGCA scores how long an organisation takes to get a trainee through 175 flying hours. Ask the school its own figure and compare the answer with its grade. A confident school will have the number.

    3. 3

      Treat safety weighting as a floor, not a feature

      Accidents carry eighteen of the twenty safety points. A clean record is the baseline the framework expects, not a distinguishing achievement.

    4. 4

      Notice what the grade does not measure

      It says nothing about instructor quality, teaching, weather at the base, or whether you will enjoy the year. It measures capacity, throughput, safety and compliance.

    5. 5

      Check the current list at the source

      Rankings are published twice a year, so any list on any website, this one included, is a snapshot. Read the live one from DGCA before you decide.

    What a band does not tell you

    A C grade means an organisation scored below fifty per cent against this framework in that evaluation window and has been sent an improvement notice. It does not mean the organisation is unsafe or that its graduates are unemployable, and a band can move at the next publication. Equally, a B grade is not an endorsement of anything beyond what the five parameter groups measure.

    Use it the way DGCA appears to intend it: as a published, comparable signal to put alongside your own visit, your own questions about aircraft availability, and a written quotation. The questions worth asking are set out in the cost breakdown, and the guide to choosing a flying school covers what to look for on the visit itself.

    Frequently asked questions

    Does DGCA rank flying schools?
    Yes. A ranking framework for approved Flying Training Organisations took effect on 1 October 2025. Each FTO is scored out of 100 and placed in band A+, A, B or C, and rankings are published twice a year.
    What do the bands mean?
    A+ is 85 per cent and above, A is 70 to 84.99, B is 50 to 69.99, and C is below 50. An organisation in band C receives an improvement notice from DGCA.
    What is the score made of?
    Operational aspects 40 per cent, FTO performance 20, safety standards 20, compliance standards 10, and assistance to students 10.
    Which single factor carries the most weight?
    Operational ratios. Student-to-aircraft, student-to-instructor and fleet-to-engineer ratios are worth ten percentage points each, thirty between them.
    Did any school get an A grade?
    Not in the first ranking, which covered September 2024 to August 2025: thirteen organisations were in band B and twenty-two in band C, with none in A or A+.
    Is Flying Star Aviator in the ranking?
    No. It is a ground school and career-guidance organisation, not a Flying Training Organisation, so it is not ranked and has no grade.

    Official sources

    • DGCA Public Notice F. No: DGCA-16017/10/2025-DFT, 30 September 2025 - the framework, the bands, the parameter weights and the first ranking. Read it at DGCA.
    • DGCA publishes the current ranking as a document on its portal. It is reissued twice a year, so check the date on whichever copy you open.

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