AI to celebrate Women's Day with all-women crew
As Parliament gets ready to take up the historic Women Reservation Bill on Monday, Air India is geared up to set an example for empowerment of the fair sex by operating four international flights, including on the non-stop Mumbai-New York sector, with all-women crew.
"It is a matter of great pride for me that the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) has chosen me and my fellow commander to operate the historic flight.
The step will go a long way in the empowerment of women in this country," Captain Sunita Narula told PTI here.
Capt Narula along with fellow commander Rashmi Miranda and two women first officers -- Capt Swati Rawal and Capt Neha Kulkarni -- have been chosen by Air India to pilot the Mumbai-Newyork flight which will depart at 0130 hours. Air India yesterday announced that it would operate four flights, including one on the long-haul from Mumbai to New York (JFK) on March 8 to mark the occasion of International Women's Day.
Three domestic flights -- one each on the Mumbai-Bangalore-Mumbai, Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Mumbai-Nagpur-Mumbai sectors will also be operated with all women crew. All activities connected with these flight operations will also be handled by women employees, it said.
"I am very excited. Though I have piloted a long-haul flight more than a dozen times, but with a set of either two male pilots and two women pilots or three male pilots and one women pilots, it is for the first time that we will have an all women cockpit crew," Narula said.
Air India has currently around eight women commanders and over 40 first officers in its total pilots strength. The task is going to be challenging one, she said, adding "especially when you will be flying over 10 different time zones, more than a dozen countries, with every country having different set of rules and procedures.
"The flight would criss-cross Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Atlantic region and Canada before entering the US skies. With more than 5,000 hours of flying experience, including 1600 as commander on different types of aircraft such as Airbus A310 and Boeing 747, Narula will be operating the second leg of the journey and would cross over Atlantic Ocean.
On the International Women's Day, Narula said it was a matter of celebration for the change in mindset. "Today, we have a negligible presence. But the way mindset is changing, I think in Air India too we will have at least 10 per cent women commanders in the times to come," she said. Narula said the proposed Women Reservation Bill is a right step and help in changing the mindset.
"I think a woman understands and handles problems in a better way than a man," she said.
