Celebrating International Women’s
Day in its Centenary year, British Airways marked the day by welcoming 100 young women to its Global
Learning Academy to inspire more girls
to become commercial airline pilots.
British Airways employs more female pilots than any other UK
airline. More than six per cent of its
flight crew is female - above the national average. However,
the airline knows that there is more work
to be done.Inspiring Young Women As part of the airline’s commitment to help young people
from across the UK learn more about careers in aviation and on the flight deck, girls aged
between 14 and 18 from 30 different schools across the South East were invited to visit British Airways’
state-of-the-art training centre to meet some of the airline’s female pilots and experience flying an
aircraft in one of British Airways’ multi- million pounds flight simulators.As well as this the 100 youngsters toured the airline’s
training facilities and one of its long-haul aircraft and learnt how crew deal with challenging issues during a
flight. They listened to inspirational talks from British Airways’ female pilots and trainees who shared
tips on how to break into the industry, advised which subjects they should be paying close attention
to at school and explained the dedication required as well as the excitement that comes
with flying around the world. The initiative supports the recent call from Aviation
Minister Baroness Sugg for airlines to increase their numbers of female pilots.
British Airways First Officer Ramnique Goring, said:
“It is so important to show young girls that this job is
achievable for them. As a female pilot, I see it as part of my role to inspire more young women to consider
taking up this fantastic career, where women are underrepresented. I look forward to playing my part by
visiting schools as part of British Airways’ ‘Your Future Flyi ng’ Scheme and attending careers events,
but this is the biggest event for women that British Airways has ever held, and I am incredibly
proud to have been a part of it.”
Encouraging More Young Women to be Pilots Angela Williams,
British Airways’ Chief People Officer said: “We are committed to encouraging more female pilots to join
the airline industry. Key to this is showing young women from an early age that this is something
that they can and should aspire to. Events like this are vital for young girls as it shows them
that becoming a pilot is an achievable career ambition. Studying a STEM subject and having a passion for
aviation is the first stage, but through events like this one we enable them to turn their imagination
into a reality and experience the thrill of flying an aircraft. It was incredible to see how
enthusiastic the girls were to be a part of this event, and we were delighted to celebrate International Women’s Day
with them.”Jasmine Findlay, 14, from Heathside School, Weybridge,
who
attended the event, said:
“Before today I had never really thought about what job I
wanted in the future, I just knew I needed to do well at school. I’m always so excited to fly when I go on
holiday, so to feel this excitement every day when I go to work would be amazing!”Top Tips to take off as a Pilot
Wonder Women
In further celebration of International Women’s Day British
Airways has added a new category to its
in-flight entertainment; Wonder Women. The channel will run
until the end of March and features
empowering, feel-good movies and TV shows such as,
Absolutely Fabulous, Battle of the Sexes, and
of course Wonder Woman.
Over the next five years British Airways is investing £6.5
billion to improve its customer experience,
including new aircraft, new cabins, new catering, new
lounges, WiFi, and new routes.
#ProudToBAWoman #BA100
