Fighting odds to fly high – women of aviation sector

Kolkata: One left her 1.5-month-old child at home to pursue her dream job that would one day make the infant’s future bright. Another came from a remote village and became the first pilot of her state.

The third one handled operations at the New Delhi airport during the tough times of the Charkhi-Dadri mid-air collision and the IC-814 hijacking.

These three women, although different by their place of birth and way of upbringing, shared a common goal of breaking the stereotype and making their mark in the country’s aviation sector.

On this International Women’s Day, they narrated their life stories to PTI.

Barnali Vishwakarma is an executive at Airport Operations Control Staff (AOCS), an airline department that manages passenger travel, security, and flight operations.

Her career in the aviation sector began with nearly eight years of experience at the Kolkata airport before the pandemic disrupted lives and forced her out of the workforce for three years.

During that time, she welcomed her baby boy and focused on recovering from postpartum challenges. However, when the opportunity arose to rejoin IndiGo at her hometown station, she seized it without hesitation.

“It was a tough choice to make… leaving a one-and-a-half-month-old baby at home to go to the office. First training, then long working hours… Above all the emotional struggle of being away from the baby,” she said.

“But I knew one day this would secure a brighter future for my child,” said Vishwakarma.

If Vishwakarma’s story is an example of how women can balance motherhood and ambition, in Captain Juhie Chettri’s case, it was bridging the gap between her village in Sikkim and the sky.

“Growing up, flying as a profession seemed like a far-fetched dream for the children in my region, primarily due to a lack of resources and information about how to enter the aviation field,” she said.

At that time, Chettri had never imagined that she would become the first pilot from Sikkim and would later get felicitated with one of the state’s most prestigious honours, the State Award, in 2017.

Celebrating 13 years in the industry this year, Chhetri now manages up to 80 pilots while also training them.

The story of Nivedita Dubey is completely different. She was the airport manager of Indira Gandhi International Airport during the Charkhi-Dadri mid-air collision of two planes near Delhi in 1996 or the infamous hijacking of the IC-814 flight three years later.

Dubey became the first woman to become the Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) first regional executive director (RED) of the eastern region in 2023 and is posted at the regional headquarters in Kolkata.

Over the years, Dubey also transitioned into human resource management, where she had key responsibilities in manpower planning, recruitment, training, and industrial relations.

“Early on in my career, I faced critical challenges, managing aircraft emergencies, including the Charkhi-Dadri mid-air collision and the IC 814 hijacking. These experiences shaped my ability to stay composed under pressure and make swift, strategic decisions,” Dubey said.

Dubey also claimed she handled the emergency control room during both crises.

“I was very new in the profession but I handled all the pressure. It was tough to keep track of all the lists of bodies recovered and other details. With so many coffins in front, it used to be scary at times,” she said.

Her advice to young women aspiring to make successful careers is to build strong support systems and robust networks and dream big.

“We (women) can understand each other’s problems better than men can. Invest in yourself, keep building on your abilities, and keep learning. I have continued to learn till date,” Dubey added.