RTR(A) After the DGCA Takeover (Nov 2025)
If you are still reading pages that say “apply to the WPC for RTR(A)” or “wait for the April / August / November batch,” those pages are out of date. Since November 2025 the DGCA conducts the RTR(A) examination. This guide is only about what that change means for you as a candidate — not a full syllabus rewrite. For pattern and syllabus detail, use the RTR(A) exam guide.
What actually changed in November 2025
- Conducting authority: the RTR(A) examination is conducted by the DGCA under the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025, together with CAR Section 7, Series ‘G’, Part VI.
- Frequency: sittings are far more frequent than the old three-batches-a-year WPC cycle. Plan around published DGCA / PARIKSHA session notices — do not wait a third of a year between attempts by default.
- Centres (written): the written paper has been held in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai. Practical / oral centre availability has been rolling out from Delhi first — always confirm the current notice before you travel.
- Computer number: like other DGCA Flight Crew papers, you need a DGCA Flight Crew computer number allotted through PARIKSHA. If you do not have one yet, start with how to apply for a computer number.
What did not change
This distinction is examinable, and cadets mix it up:
- The WPC still regulates radio spectrum and apparatus — including the aircraft radio station licence, NFAP and SACFA. That did not move to the DGCA.
- You still need RTR(A) to legally operate an aircraft radio and speak to ATC. The certificate’s purpose did not change; only who runs the exam did.
- You still need both halves: a written examination and a practical (transmission / viva) against an examiner. Reading alone will not clear the practical.
What you should do now
- Get (or confirm) your computer number on PARIKSHA if you will sit any DGCA Flight Crew paper, including RTR(A).
- Ignore outdated WPC-batch calendars as your primary plan. Watch DGCA / PARIKSHA / eGCA notices for the session you intend to sit — including practical slot instructions when published.
- Study the current CAR syllabus — CAR Section 7 Series G Part VI — not a random WhatsApp PDF labelled “old WPC pattern.” The chapter map on this site is in the free RTR(A) book.
- Practise speaking out loud before the practical. Use the RTR(A) radio simulator until phraseology and read-backs are automatic.
Official sources
- Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025
- DGCA CAR Section 7, Series ‘G’, Part VI (RTR syllabus / examination framework)
- PARIKSHA — Flight Crew registration & examination portal
- DGCA public notices on RTR written / practical sessions (check the DGCA site and portal notices before every attempt)
- Full pattern breakdown on this site: RTR(A) Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Quick answers
Who conducts the RTR(A) exam — the DGCA or the WPC?
The DGCA. It took the RTR(A) examination over from the WPC wing in November 2025, under the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025. The WPC remains India's radio spectrum and apparatus regulator, including the aircraft radio station licence — but the exam itself is now a DGCA examination.
What changed for RTR(A) when DGCA took over from the WPC?
Since November 2025 the DGCA conducts the RTR(A) examination under the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025 and CAR Section 7 Series G Part VI. Sittings are more frequent, the written paper runs in major cities, and you need a DGCA computer number. The WPC still regulates radio spectrum and apparatus.
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