Last month, Air India operated its longest non-stop flight ever, but what was most important about this flight wasn’t the route itself but the fact that it was operated by an all-female crew. India’s national airline is internationally recognised for its high percentage of female pilots in the cockpit and this flight is another example of why other airlines should open their cockpit doors to more female pilots.
Captain Zoya Aggarwal trained for 12 months to fly this alternative and unusual route, which brought the Boeing 777 over the North Pole, from San Francisco (SFO) to Bengaluru (BLR), India. The female crew that operated this first flight consisted of Captain Zoya Agarwal, Captain Papagari Thanmai, Captain Akanksha Sonawane and Captain Shivani Manhas. Flight AI-176 was officially the longest non-stop commercial flight operated by Air India and this particular route allowed the airline to save around 10,000kg of fuel. Overall Air India has certainly demonstrated its positive attitude towards female pilots and continues to highlight the important role of women in aviation.
But why has an all-female crew captivated the attention of so many people around the world? According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISWAP), just 5.1% of pilots around the world in 2020 were female. Figures published in 2018 by Data USA show that 78.6% of flight attendants in the US were female, which roughly correspondences to the worldwide average that 80 per cent of flight attendants globally are female.
However, India is currently leading a major societal shift and as of last year, 12.4% of the country’s pilots were women, the highest percentage globally. Captain Papagari Thanmai is extremely positive about the future of women in aviation, as she has been flying planes for almost ten years now. She sees no difference between men and women in the aviation industry and believes people are getting used to seeing a woman in command of an aircraft.
If we looked back at the beginning of commercial aviation with the Wright brothers, what many people tend to forget is that without their sister’s help, the Wright brothers would never have accomplished their first flight. Katharine Wright Haskell was instrumental in assisting their work, as a teacher she provided them with important resources and even financially backed them throughout their mission. At the time, Wilbur Wright was quoted as saying, “If ever the world thinks of us in connection with aviation, it must remember our sister”.
Throughout the late 1920s, flying was considered extremely unsafe and dangerous. In an effort to convince the general public that it was safe aircraft manufacturers would hire women as sales representatives and flight demonstrators. The idea behind the hiring strategy was that if a woman could fly a plane, it wouldn’t be that difficult for a man. Back then, the primary social role of women was that of being a mother. Therefore, a stewardess was a much more appropriate role for a woman than a pilot. Although there were a couple of female pilots, it was until the 1960s to 1980s when the number of female pilots started to increase. Since then, the number of female pilots has increased gradually, but the industry has a long way to go to ultimately demonstrate that it fully acknowledges and accepts the important role of women in aviation.
Not only have women experienced difficulties in being accepted as pilots, but they have also experienced challenges in terms of senior management positions at airlines. According to the International Air Travel Association (IATA), only 3% of the airlines’ CEO are women, compared to 12% in other industries. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the positive impact of women in leadership positions, such as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern at managing the control of COVID-19 as well as Air India’s longest commercial flight. Air India is just one example of an airline with a high percentage of female pilots, other carriers like Aer Lingus in Ireland are also focusing on increasing gender equality on the flight deck. Overall it is important to recognise the important role that women play in the industry and India’s longest non-stop commercial flight is just the most recent example of the women in aviation.
