WIDEN THE SKIES

The urgent need for more women in aviation far exceeds some basic box-ticking. We spoke to the trailblazers reimagining the industry and pushing for essential gender equality

- HANNAH RALPH

It's 2018. At the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) annual conference in Sydney, Qatar Airways' former CEO Akbar al Baker declares that only a man could lead his airline, "because it is a very challenging position". That same year, journalist Angela Epstein appears on one of the UK's most watched morning shows to discuss the topic: "Would you trust a female pilot?" "If there's someone in a position of absolute power and control," she said, "then I'd like it to be a man". TUI Airways, meanwhile, takes heat for handing out "future pilot" stickers to boys and "future cabin crew" ones to girls.

And while it's true that no formal barriers prohibit women from pursuing commercial or military careers in aviation, a patriarchal cloud still lingers over the industry. Despite constituting half of the population, various sources reveal that women make up only 5 per cent of commercial pilots, 18 per cent of flight dispatchers, 26 per cent of air traffic controllers and less than 9 per cent of aerospace engineers. Additionally, of the directorate, women hold only 14 per cent of C-suite roles and account for just 3 per cent of CEOs across the world's top 100 aviation organisations. In fact, the only aviation career where women are not currently outnumbered is within cabin crew.

The truth is, ever since the Wright Brothers took that first flight in 1903, women have remained largely erased and discouraged from aviation. How many of us can say we knew their sister, Katharine, who was instrumental in running the company? But here's the good news - the tide is turning. And not just under the pressure of do-gooding corporate targets, but thanks to passionate, vocation-led trailblazers and increasingly credible business cases that weigh in favour of diverse teams.

SOARING DEMAND