Where Women Are Flying Through The Glass Ceiling

There was a time when a woman’s voice over the aircraft speaker was almost certainly delivering a safety demonstration or meal announcement. Today, it is just as likely to be your captain from the flight deck.India’s aviation sector has quietly achieved what many industries are still struggling to envision – a workforce where women are not only present but are increasingly thriving. With women making up 14% of India’s pilots, more than double the global average of 6%, the sector has emerged as a global leader in gender inclusion.Beyond pilots, women constitute 39% of India’s aviation workforce, far surpassing representation in sectors like infra, energy, and logistics. This progress was not accidental – it was built on decades of proactive policies, industry-wide commitment, and a willingness to rethink traditional hiring and retention models.But while India’s aviation sector is far ahead of many others, challenges remain. Women still make up just 5% of roles in Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO), and leadership positions in airlines remain largely male-dominated. The sector has shown what’s possible, but there is more work to be done in ensuring women’s representation goes beyond pilots and cabin crew.This journey, however, offers lessons that extend far beyond aviation.Unlike many industries still debating whether gender balance is achievable, aviation moved early to ensure it wasn’t just possible – but inevitable. Airlines, regulators, and industry leaders laid the groundwork years ago by focusing on access, training, and sustained career pathways for women.Consider this: In 2023, 18% of commercial pilot licences issued in India went to women, marking a 22% increase from the previous year. This was no accident. India has 35 commercial pilot training schools, supported by policies such as liberalised Flying Training Organisation regulations, removal of airport royalty fees, and introduction of flexible online pilot examinations.Govt efforts like the Boeing Sukanya Programme that funds STEM education, scholarships, and technical training for young women have helped bridge the talent pipeline, creating access at a scale most industries have yet to replicate.Meanwhile, airlines have built policies that actively support long-term career retention and growth for women. At one airline, women make up 44% of the workforce, up from 18% a decade ago. At another, women staff has reached 35%, with functions like finance – traditionally male-dominated – seeing near 40% female representation. A third airline has led the way with the highest percentage of women pilots among global airlines, at 15%.These numbers are evidence that gender diversity thrives when treated as a business priority, not an afterthought. Aviation’s gender success was not accidental. It happened because the industry recognised three fundamentals that other sectors must embrace.First, representation goals must be explicit and measurable. Aviation has succeeded because companies set clear targets – a private airline’s commitment to 50% women in its workforce is a case in point. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also urged airlines to ensure at least 25% female representation across aviation roles. In contrast, most industries still rely on vague commitments rather than setting hard targets.Second, hiring more women isn’t enough – industries must create structured career pathways. Aviation ensured women entering the workforce were growing within it. Airlines built cadet programmes that provide young women financial support, world-class training, and guaranteed job placements.This model can be replicated across manufacturing, logistics, energy, or finance where clear pathways are created that allow women to move across roles and climb leadership ladders without starting over.Finally, workplace flexibility and return-to-work programmes are critical levers for retention. Airlines understood early on that the biggest barrier to gender parity wasn’t hiring women – it was keeping them.They responded with maternity-friendly policies, home-base flexibility for pilots, fixed flight schedules for new mothers, and daycare facilities at major airline hubs.This focus on retention is precisely where industries like infra, banking-financial-services-insurance, and logistics need to evolve. Gender parity cannot be achieved if career breaks result in career dead-ends.India’s aviation sector offers a powerful blueprint for other high-growth industries where women’s representation hasn’t kept pace with sectoral expansion. With rising investments in infra, renewable energy, and tech, India has an opportunity to embed gender inclusion into the next phase of its economic growth.Aviation industry’s experience has demonstrated that gender diversity isn’t just about fairness but about economic and business growth. Companies that actively integrate women into their workforce gain a competitive edge, drive innovation, and expand the talent pool available to them. Aviation did not achieve gender parity by accident. It did so by making it a strategic priority.Question is: who will follow?Ghosh is co-founder of a private airline. Goyal is founding CEO of a women’s advocacy group