15% of Air India pilots women, one of the highest among airlines globally
Air India is among the airlines with the largest number of female pilots in the world, with 15% of its 1,825 pilots being women, it has said.
Also, India has the largest number of commercial women pilots in the world, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson reminded on International Women’s Day on Wednesday (March 8).
#FlyAI: Here's to all the exceptional women who help us fly higher every day! We celebrate the strong, the courageous, and the unstoppable – may you continue to inspire us all with your grace and grit! #HappyWomensDay pic.twitter.com/549M7vNkMF
— Air India (@airindia) March 8, 2023
To mark the day, the Tata Group-owned Air India, along with Air India Express and AirAsia India, has scheduled more than 90 all-women crew flights, which are being operated on international and domestic routes since March 1, according to a release.
“Of the 90+ flights operated by all-women cockpit and cabin crew, Air India is flying 40 flights across domestic and international locations, whereas AI Express is operating 10 all-international flights to the Gulf route and AirAsia India is operating over 40 flights within India,” it said.
275 of 1,825 AI pilots are women
According to the carrier, women constitute over 40% of Air India’s workforce, with 275 of its 1,825 pilots being women, representing 15% of the cockpit crew strength. That makes it an airline with one of the largest numbers of female pilots.
Also read: Govt will keep working to further women’s empowerment: PM Modi on Int’l Women’s Day
“With more Indian women pursuing careers in aviation, we are achieving gender equality in the workforce. We are proud of the women workforce with us at Air India today, and we thank each of them for sending out a powerful message that women can excel in any field,” said CEO-MD Wilson.
At Air India Express and AirAsia India, over a third of the workforce comprises women.
“Several women play a key role in various departments, including in the domains of finance, commercial, human resources, customer happiness, flight training, technology, flight dispatch, engineering, safety, and operations control. The two airlines have 97 women pilots,” the release said.
(With agency inputs)