Where are all the female pilots at?

“Hello, this is your captain speaking. Welcome onboard. We are now flying to…” – you can hear from the speakers in the cabin. Have you ever thought about how rare it is to have a woman welcoming you on a flight? It’s almost a written rule that it should be a man sitting in the cockpit and maneuvering the aircraft. That’s just the way it is and always has been. But why? Why are there so few female pilots?   Only 5% of the world’s commercial pilots are women, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots. But it doesn’t mean that women would be worse off handling an aircraft than men.   Is the women pilot shortage a problem? “I’ve never seen it as a problem” – says one of the female captains. Only when others have noticed it, she thinks about it. So, why should we pay attention to it? The opportunities to start studying are the same for women and men. Nowadays, there are plenty of opportunities, unlike in the past when women were not even allowed to fly. Why do we highlight the need for more women?   It’s known that having more women in the workplace is associated with positive outcomes for both men and women according to different studies. That’s only one reason why we should do something about it.   Female aviation role models The lack of female role models may be one of the reasons why many girls or women don’t even think about becoming a pilot. Many people think that it’s only men who sit behind the levers and therefore not questioning it. We need more people who question and challenge the norm of the invisible rules that still exists. We need more women pilots as role models who inspire more women to dare to take the leap. Because many simply do not dare.  

The feeling of power

The girls we spoke to captain Monika Chaudhary and many others are tough, and they know what they want and there are no obstacles when the goal is set. If they have a goal, they’re going to get there. When we asked why they want to become a pilot, the answer was: “Can love be explained?” They absolutely love flying. “Getting up in the air is so unnatural and exciting at the same time.” Controlling an aircraft up in the air gives kind of a feeling of power, and there is no doubt that they are liking it. India tops in the proportion of women pilots than any other nation.  Indian carriers employ close to 12.4% women pilots, which is much higher than the world average of 5.4%.   Gender equality persists in many professions in India, but in aviation, women rule the skies. India is the country with a maximum number of women pilots in the world. In a tweet the Ex-Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Indian carriers employ close to 12.4% women pilots. In another tweet, the aviation minister said: “Women power soars high! 210 women pilots including 103 captains are a part of the Air India family. AAI is efficiently women-ed by 507 women Air Traffic Controllers.” The percentage of female pilots in India is twice as high as in most Western countries, including the United States and Australia. Globally, less than 5 per cent of pilots are women, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.   In a historic move in January this year, Air India’s longest direct route flight with the all-women pilot team landed at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru from San Francisco, flying over the North Pole and covering a distance of about 16,000 kilometres.   “Today, we created world history by not only flying over the North Pole but also by having all women pilots who successfully did it. We are extremely happy and proud to be part of it. This route has saved 10 tonnes of fuel,” Captain Zoya Aggarwal had said.