Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Airlines stepping up efforts to recruit more female pilots

Airlines have been stepping up their efforts to recruit more female pilots, and Indian airlines employ the highest proportion of female pilots.

According to the latest statistics from the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISWAP), Zoom Air, tops the chart, hiring nine female pilots out of a total of 30.


India has a growing middle class and commercial air travel is going to increase.

Kathy McCullough, communications chairwoman for ISWAP and a retired female captain, told BBC that Indian companies have "aggressively encouraged more women to become airline pilots in what they see as an upcoming pilot shortage."

In India, about 12.4 per cent airline pilots are women, and globally, just 5.18 per cent of commercial pilots are women.

In the UK, about 4.77 per cent of airline pilots are women and they earn anywhere between £20-30,000. For experienced captains, pay can reach more than £140,000.

According to the National Careers Service in the UK, that's higher than the £105,250 you could earn as an air commodore in the Royal Air Force.

As for the gender pay gap, Ryanair reported the largest difference for an airline at 71.8 per cent. EasyJet had a 45.5 per cent pay gap, but said that men and women in the same roles are paid equally, reported BBC.

Much of the gap can be explained by the proportion of male pilots. For example, at EasyJet, pilots make up a quarter of its UK employees. About 6 per cent of its UK pilots are women and they are paid £92,400 on average. Lower-paid cabin crew, 69 per cent of whom are women, earn an average salary of £24,800.

The airline has set a target stating that 20 per cent of new entrant pilots should be female by 2020.

Initiatives have also been launched to encourage young women to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, which can be useful for those looking to become a pilot.

Captain Kate McWilliams, an EasyJet employee, became the world's youngest female airline captain at the age of 26. According to her, girls are put off thinking being a pilot is a technical job.

But a huge amount of it is being good with people. As a captain, you're a people manager. There needs to be a change in perception around the job," she was quoted as saying by the BBC.

More For You

India faces growth challenge
as global uncertainty mounts

Narendra Modi (left) and Nirmala Sitaraman

India faces growth challenge as global uncertainty mounts

AFTER world-beating economic growth last year, India’s policymakers are scrambling to prevent a sharp slowdown as worsening global conditions and declining domestic confidence undo a recent stock market rally.

Last Tuesday (7), Asia’s third-largest economy forecast 6.4 per cent annual growth for the fiscal year ending in March, the slowest in four years and below initial projections, weighed down by weaker investment and manufacturing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tata Consultancy sees 5.6 per cent rise in revenue despite market challenges

Chief executive and managing director of TCS K Krithivasan

Tata Consultancy sees 5.6 per cent rise in revenue despite market challenges

INDIAN IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) posted a 5.6 per cent on-year rise in revenue for the December quarter last Thursday (9), after lower earnings in its key North American market.

The leader of India’s $254 billion (£208.4bn) IT sector, TCS is the second-largest company in India by market capitalisation and earns over 80 per cent of its revenue from Western clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK-GDP
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions seen on June 22, 2023 in London. (Photo: Getty Images)

GDP rises just 0.1 per cent in November following Reeves’ budget

THE ECONOMY grew by 0.1 per cent in November, marking a slight recovery after contractions in September and October, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This modest increase followed chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October budget, which introduced significant tax hikes for businesses. However, the growth was weaker than the 0.2 per cent rise expected by economists.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pixxel launches India’s first private satellite network

FILE PHOTO: Pixxel logo and Indian flag are seen in this illustration. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Pixxel launches India’s first private satellite network

INDIA's space tech startup Pixxel launched three of its six hyperspectral imaging satellites aboard a SpaceX rocket from California on Tuesday (14).

The satellites were launched at 1915 GMT, just after midnight in India, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, a live telecast from SpaceX showed. The launch marks a milestone for the country's growing private space sector and for Google-backed Pixxel, a five-year-old startup.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK-India trade talks resume amid growth push

Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar and UK foreign secretary David Lammy (S Jaishankar-X)

UK-India trade talks resume amid growth push

THE UK government on Tuesday (14) told parliament that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with India have been relaunched to deliver a joint ambition of taking the bilateral relationship to “even greater heights”.

During a debate on UK economic growth in the Commons, Labour MP Jeevun Sandher asked foreign secretary David Lammy about the steps being taken to get a “good UK-India trade deal over the line”.

Keep ReadingShow less