John Denver might have struck the right chord by singing I’m leaving on a jet plane but the dream of flying a jet plane for most Indian women gets grounded even before it has properly taken wings. Aviation academies and pilot training institutes in India still have a low enrollment rate of girls — a fact echoed by Capt Bibi Mahdiya Bolooki, assistant flight instructor at Wings Aviation Private Ltd. “It was a difficult choice for me because I come from a conservative family. I had to fight against all odds and make my dream come true,” said Capt Mahdiya.
In fact, she is the only woman in her family to have chosen a career in the aviation industry. While pilot training at least has a few takers, aircraft maintenance, simulator maintenance, aviation meteorology and technical courses are not a hit among girls even by a long shot. Seconding Capt Mahdiya’s opinion, D. Deepthi, aircraft maintenance engineer at Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy, Hyderabad, said: “Besides me, only one woman had taken up the course in aircraft maintenance engineering. The others were all men.”
On average, only one in 30 women at an aviation institute end up with a career in the aviation industry. The rest drop out, Capt Mahdiya said. “Even flying clubs are dominated by men,” she added. Mr Prateek Vyas, a former student at the New Delhi-based Indira Gandhi Uran Academy, said many women get married and thus drop out. “I wish I could see more women flying aircraft,” he added.
Though the glamorous side of the industry has meant more women become airhostesses, the technical side of the industry lacks them. Even flight academies established only for girls have not made their mark nationally, as girls from only urban areas opt for them and are yet to be patronised by their rural counterparts. Flight Lieutenant Neharika Pandey said: “Most women fear flying. (But) I don’t think that should stand as an impediment if they want to make a career in this industry.” She added that it is challenge for a woman to compete with male counterparts to survive in the industry.