In a traditionally male-dominated industry, women at Air India are leaving their mark on the skies and stoking curiosity about aviation among young women in India.
At Air India, it has always been our endeavour to foster equitable representation of women with the belief that diversity and inclusion helps in driving innovation and growth. Women employees form as much as 51% of our workforce. Over 15% of our cockpit crew are women - making it an airline with one of the largest number of women pilots globally. In fact, since the homecoming of Air India to the Tata group in 2022, there has been a sharp rise in women employees in every sphere of the airline’s activities.
Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director, Air India, highlighted this aspect, saying, “We, at Air India, are proud of our women colleagues and value their professional contribution in every area of our operation. We ensure equal opportunities for all our employees and firmly believe that diversity and inclusion play a key role in the success of an organisation.”
Scaling new heights with all-women crew flights
A special tradition at Air India has been celebrating International Women's Day by operating all-women crew flights to reinforce its commitment towards gender equality. Initiated in the mid-eighties, Air India’s all-women crew flights have been acknowledged globally as well because of its bold aspiration to empower more women in an industry historically dominated by men.
Whether it was Air India’s all-women crew flight around the globe from Delhi to San Francisco in 2017, or the all-women crew flight charting the polar route in 2021 – a first for any airline – women in Air India have created history with these momentous milestones. “We were able to create a new chapter in the Indian aviation history. I’m extremely proud to be a part of this and I have been personally preparing for more than a year for this flight,” said Captain Zoya Aggarwal, the commander of the flight who flew the first leg of the flight.
Back in 2016, for the first time, the entire flight operations from cockpit crew to cabin crew, check-in staff, the doctor, customer care staff, and the entire ground handling from operator to technician, engineer and flight dispatcher and trimmer was handled by women. This helped shine a spotlight on the myriad roles women can don in the field of aviation beyond the conventional roles of a cabin crew and pilot.
Beyond the symbolic flights, Air India offers equal opportunities to women across a broad spectrum of roles such as pilots, technical officers, engineers, safety and quality auditors and the like. And fosters a conducive environment for them to thrive and achieve their full potential.
