Indian Airlines Bring More Women Pilots Into The Fold

Wednesday, 8th July 2015 at 06:02am

While some parts of India aren't so keen about women empowerment in the workforce, the country's airline industry seem to be taking it more seriously.

Statistics reveal that about 11 per cent of women are occupying pilot positions in India. Out of the 5,100 pilots employed by India's airlines, around 600 are women pilots.

On a global scale, the Society of Women Airline Pilots reports that 4,000 of the 130,000 pilots in the entire world are women. Percentage-wise, this is just roughly 3 per cent of the entire pilot population.

According to Harpreet Singh Dey, Head of Indian Women Pilots Association, the growing number of women pilots in India could downplay India's somewhat poor image in terms of implementing gender equality in the workplace.

Dey cited that there has been an upward trend in the number of females graduating from flying schools in the country. This is partly due to the encouragement these women get from parents in terms of pursuing their careers and their willingness to make it their top priority versus having a family of their own.

Licenses issued by India in favor of women pilots also went up by 5 per cent in 2014.

Local airlines observed a modest but steady increase in the number of women pilots working for the company. India also appears to have the highest number of women pilots employed compared with other regions.

SpiceJet, for instance noticed an increase in women pilots working with the airline. Two years ago, women comprised between 11 to 12 per cent of its total pilots. Of late, this percentage has increased to 15 per cent. The airline's COO noted that through the years, airlines have grown to embrace gender equality when head hunting for airline pilot positions.

Jet Airways and IndiGo likewise observed the same trend within their companies. For Jet Airways, the percentage of women pilots was 14 per cent, up from 12.5 per cent for the previous two years. IndiGo female pilots on the other hand comprised 11 per cent of its total pilot force.

Other International airlines, the likes of British Airways, have a smaller percentage of women pilots working under its wing. Latest stats show that only 5 per cent of their pilots are women.

As India's airline companies embrace neutrality among genders, employment contracts were also adjusted to accommodate special needs of women pilots.

At IndiGo, mothers are given the privilege to choose weekend day offs, giving them opportunity to bond with their children and strike a balance between family and career. The airline has also set up a daycare facility.

Meanwhile, more than 40 per cent of IndiGo's total manpower are women, with more than 30 per cent occupying top management positions.

By: Pete Lee.