Indian women pilots soar past global average

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NEW DELHI: Ground realities may be harsh for women in India, but they're still determined to conquer the skies. Almost 600 of the 5,050 pilots in Indian airlines are women, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). At 11.6%, this is way above the 3% global average estimated by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots. India is also seeing a steady rise in women pilots annually. The last five years saw 4,267 commercial pilots' licences being issued, of which 628 or 14.7% went to women. One of the reasons why women pilots fare better in India than in other countries is the strong family support system they have here. "Women who go on overseas flights have to spend days away from home. In India, women have their mothers or mothers-in-law to take care of the kids and that ensures they can go on long flights too," says a woman pilot.

Women pilots and crew members in an Air India flight. (TOI file photo)

A direct outcome of this trend is that Indian carriers are employing more women pilots. The Jet Group, for instance, had 152 women pilots in October 2011; today it has 194 — the highest in India. "There has been steady growth of about 10% year on year in the number of women pilots joining the airline," says a Jet official referring to Jet Airways and JetLite. The official adds that 30.5% of their 13,674 employees are women.
At IndiGo, 11% of pilots are women. "That number is definitely growing. Of the pilots that joined from April 2014, 16.5% are women," says an IndiGo official. Overall, 43% of the airline's 8,200-strong workforce is women.


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Indian women pilots soar past global average - The Times of India
 

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