India • Licensing
CAR-66 licence categories
How the Indian AME licence is divided into categories and sub-categories, taken from CAR-66 66.A.03 and Rule 61.
Sources last checked: 2026-10-22
Categories A and B1
Category A is divided into A1 (aeroplanes, turbine), A2 (aeroplanes, piston), A3 (helicopters, turbine) and A4 (helicopters, piston).
Category B1 is divided the same way: B1.1 (aeroplanes, turbine), B1.2 (aeroplanes, piston), B1.3 (helicopters, turbine) and B1.4 (helicopters, piston).
Source: CAR-66 66.A.03 — Licence categories; Aircraft Rules, 1937 Rule 61 — Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers
Categories B2 and B2L
Category B2 applies to all aircraft.
Category B2L is issued with one or more “system ratings” — Communication/Navigation, Instruments, Autoflight, Surveillance and Airframe systems — for aircraft other than those in Group 1. A B2L licence must contain at least one system rating.
Category B3
Category B3 applies to piston-engine, non-pressurised aeroplanes of 2,000 kg maximum take-off mass and below.
Source: CAR-66 66.A.03 — Licence categories; Aircraft Rules, 1937 Rule 61 — Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers
Category L and Category C
Category L covers sailplanes, powered sailplanes and Light Aircraft 1 aeroplanes, balloons and airships, in sub-categories L1C, L1, L2C, L2, L3H, L3G, L4H, L4G and L5.
Category C applies to aeroplanes and helicopters.
Aircraft groups used for ratings
Separately from the categories, CAR-66 66.A.05 classifies aircraft into groups for the purpose of licence ratings. Group 1 covers complex motor-powered aircraft, multi-engine helicopters, aeroplanes certified above FL290 (other than piston aeroplanes), fly-by-wire aircraft and gas airships other than LA2.
Group 2 covers other aircraft in three sub-groups — 2a (single turbo-propeller aeroplanes and lower-complexity turbine aeroplanes), 2b (single-turbine and lower-complexity multi-turbine helicopters) and 2c (single-piston and lower-complexity multi-piston helicopters). Group 3 is piston-engine aeroplanes not in Group 1, and Group 4 covers sailplanes, powered sailplanes, balloons and airships not in Group 1. DGCA may place a Group 1 aircraft in a lower group if its lower complexity justifies it.
The B2L system ratings, for example, are issued for aircraft other than those in Group 1.
Source: CAR-66 66.A.05 — Aircraft groups; CAR-66 66.A.03 — Licence categories
What a category lets you do
The privileges attached to each category — and the conditions for exercising them, including recent maintenance experience — are set out in CAR-66 66.A.20. Read that section in full in the India Regulations library before relying on any summary.
Source: CAR-66 66.A.20 — Privileges; AAC 5 of 2020 — Guidelines for Demonstration of 6/24 months maintenance experience
Frequently asked questions
Which category covers avionics?
Category B2 applies to all aircraft; B2L is issued with specific system ratings such as Communication/Navigation, Instruments or Autoflight. See CAR-66 66.A.03 and 66.A.20 for the exact scope.
Official DGCA sources
The documents this guide is based on, with the edition PassCARs checked. Always use the current version on the DGCA website or the DGCA Pariksha portal.
- CAR-66 66.A.03 — Licence categoriesCAR-66 — Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (CAR Section 2, Series L) · Issue III, Revision 2 · 2025-09-29 · page 12 · checked 2026-10-22Official source ↗
- Aircraft Rules, 1937 Rule 61 — Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance EngineersAircraft Rules, 1937 — Part VI (Airworthiness): Rules 54, 61 and 61A · Consolidated text as published on the DGCA portal · 2026-10-22 · page 1 · checked 2026-10-22Official source ↗
- CAR-66 66.A.05 — Aircraft groupsCAR-66 — Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (CAR Section 2, Series L) · Issue III, Revision 2 · 2025-09-29 · page 14 · checked 2026-10-22Official source ↗
- CAR-66 66.A.20 — PrivilegesCAR-66 — Licensing of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (CAR Section 2, Series L) · Issue III, Revision 2 · 2025-09-29 · page 17 · checked 2026-10-22Official source ↗
- AAC 5 of 2020 — Guidelines for Demonstration of 6/24 months maintenance experienceRevision 1 · 2021-03-02 · checked 2026-10-22Official source ↗
Related India guides
DGCA CAR-66 Explained
The rule, the requirement and the procedures behind the Indian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer licence — and where to find each official document.
AME Licence Eligibility and Experience Requirements (CAR-66)
Who can apply for a CAR-66 licence and how much practical maintenance experience each category needs, from CAR-66 66.A.15 and 66.A.30.
CAR-66 Module Examinations: Pass Mark, Attempts and Validity
The examination standard in CAR-66 Appendix II and the validity and credit rules in 66.A.25.
Practise for your CAR-66 module exams
Free during the public beta: practice questions and flashcards across the CAR-66 modules currently available.