Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday issued guidelines to assess the fitness of transgender pilot applicants.
The move comes weeks after transgender trainee pilot, Adam Harry, had alleged that he was denied a commercial pilot’s license because he was undergoing hormone therapy.
However, on July 13, the DGCA had invited Harry to apply again and said that a transgender person can be issued a ‘fit’ medical certificate, provided there are no associated medical, psychiatric, or psychological conditions.
The DGCA’s guidelines to its medical officers issued on Wednesday state that a transgender applicant’s medical fitness will be reviewed on a ‘case-to-case’ basis by assessing their functional ability and risk of incapacitation while exercising privileges of their respective licences / ratings .
According to the new rules, class 2 or class 3 (initial) medical examiners taking up cases of transgender pilots will obtain a detailed medical report from the treating specialist assisting the applicant in gender re-appropriation/ re-assignment and fill out the examination report on the regulator’s website.
However, the regulator said class 2 and 3 examiners will not issue a ‘fit’ medical certificate and will declare transgender applicants ‘Temporary Unfit’ for a detailed evaluation at an Indian Air Force Boarding Centre, and forward the application to DGCA.
According to the new rules, transgender applicants who have been taking hormone therapy or had a gender reassignment surgery within the last five years will be screened for mental health status; and an applicant who is on hormone replacement therapy, or undergoing gender reassignment surgery, will be declared medically unfit for at least three months.
“This duration can vary depending upon the risks of side-effects that might affect safe exercise of the privileges of the medical assessment,” the guidelines state.
According to the Aircraft Rules 1937, Rule 42, “Side effects from hormone therapy are significant and can affect flight safety. Therefore, the licence holder should be advised not to exercise the privileges of the licence if they experience any side effects of the medications prescribed and if there is any alteration in the dosage previously prescribed.”
“The applicant shall submit a detailed report from the training endocrinologist containing the details of hormone therapy the applicant has been taking, dosage and its frequency, changes made in the therapy and hormone assay reports and any documented side effects,” the guidelines read.
The regulator asked the transgender applicants undertaking initial medical examination to register on eGCA with the gender as per their ‘Certificate of Identity’ issued by the government —Male, Female or Transgender.
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