Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh

Commercial Pilot Licence CPL

The licence that lets you be paid to fly. For most people this is the goal.

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years on the date of application

ANO-1, 2.4.1.1

Academic qualification

HSC (Science) with Physics and Mathematics, or equivalent

ANO-1, 2.4.1.2.1

Medical fitness

Class 1 Medical Assessment

Valid 12 months; reduced to 6 months once the holder passes 40 and flies single-crew commercial passenger operations.

ANO-1, 2.4.1.4 / 2.6.1.4, 1.2.5.2

Medical validity

12 months

Six months once you pass 40 and fly single-crew commercial passenger operations.

ANO-1, 1.2.5.2 b, 1.2.5.2.2

Privileges

Act as pilot-in-command or co-pilot for remuneration in the aircraft category held.

Before single-pilot operations in aeroplanes you must have completed 70 hours as pilot-in-command, or 10 hours as pilot-in-command plus the balance under supervision.

ANO-1, 2.4.2

Flight experience

These are the figures that differ between aeroplanes and helicopters. Everything above applies to both.

Aeroplane

Total flight time

200 hours

150 hours if completed during an approved course of training. Up to 10 hours may be in an approved flight simulation training device.

ANO-1, 2.4.3.1.1

Pilot-in-command

100 hours

70 hours if completed during an approved course of training.

ANO-1, 2.4.3.1.2 a

Cross-country as PIC

20 hours

Including one flight of at least 540 km (300 NM) with full-stop landings at two different aerodromes.

ANO-1, 2.4.3.1.2 b

Instrument instruction

10 hours

No more than 5 hours may be instrument ground time.

ANO-1, 2.4.3.1.2 c

Night flight

5 hours

Only if the licence privileges are to be exercised at night. Includes 5 take-offs and 5 landings as pilot-in-command.

ANO-1, 2.4.3.1.2 d

Helicopter

Total flight time

150 hours

100 hours if completed during an approved course of training. Up to 10 hours may be in a flight simulation training device.

ANO-1, 2.4.4.1.1

Pilot-in-command

35 hours

ANO-1, 2.4.4.1.2 a

Cross-country as PIC

10 hours

Including one cross-country flight with landings at two different points.

ANO-1, 2.4.4.1.2 b

Instrument instruction

10 hours

No more than 5 hours may be instrument ground time.

ANO-1, 2.4.4.1.2 c

Night flight

5 hours

Only if the licence privileges are to be exercised at night. Includes 5 take-offs and 5 landings as pilot-in-command.

ANO-1, 2.4.4.1.2 d

Where this sits on the path

You need a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) first.

Instrument Rating (IR)

A rating, not a licence. It lets you fly under IFR — in cloud and poor visibility — and airlines will not hire you without it.

Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL)

The captain's licence. Required to command a multi-crew airliner.

Flight Instructor Rating (FIR)

Teach others to fly — and build hours towards an airline job while being paid for it.

The written exams

9 technical subjects, each out of 100 marks — except Operational Procedures and Radiotelephony, which are out of 50.

Multiple choiceabout 60%
Descriptiveabout 20%
True / Falseabout 10%
Fill in the blanksabout 10%

Pilots' Technical Examination Syllabus, printed pp. 1 and 25.

Study this licence

The full CAAB syllabus, filtered to exactly the topics this licence is examined on.

Aeroplane

CPL Aeroplane Exam Syllabus

1,903 topics across 9 subjects

Helicopter

CPL Helicopter Exam Syllabus

1,750 topics across 9 subjects

Practice the questions

Our CPL question bank follows this same syllabus, subject by subject — browse the library. The first 20 questions in every subject are free.

Source

Every figure above comes from ANO-1 — Air Navigation Order, Personnel Licensing (Gazetted 8 April 2024), and the examination format from the CAAB technical examination syllabus (Issue-1, 10 August 2005). ANO-1 replaced the Civil Aviation Rules 1984 as the basis for licensing in 2024 without changing any of these figures — what did change.