Colombo, March 8 (newsin.asia): To mark International Women’s Day on Thursday, Air India, the iconic airline of India, operated a Chennai-Colombo-New Delhi flight with an all women crew.
The flight was piloted by Capt V Roopa and Capt Nimisha Goel. The cabin crew comprised Ria, Zena, Ritika, Tianaro and Haritha.
L Ramesh Babu and Ms Neha Singh from the Indian High Commission welcomed the crew at a ceremony at Colombo Airport. After cutting a cake to mark the occasion, the crew and the hosts appreciated Air India’s initiative and noted the involvement of Sri Lanka in this unique South Asian venture.
Air India at Srilanka is also an women operation with all key positions being held by women.
Alice Joe Paul is Country Manager for Sri Lanka, Mrs Madhumita Gupta is Airport Manager and Mrs Thanuja Lankathilaka, is the General Manager of Indusky Aviation, the Passenger GSA for Air India at Sri Lanka.
Key achievements of women in Air India:
The first round-the-world trip entirely staffed by women was in 2017. The aircraft, a B 777, flew from Delhi to San Francisco on the Pacific route and then San Francisco to Delhi on the Atlantic route.
In 1990 Nivedita Bhashan became the youngest women pilot in the world’s civil aviation history to command a commercial jet aircraft at the age of 26.
Capt Durba Banerjee , was the first Indian woman commercial pilot to fly for the national carrier. That was ay back in 1956.
We also had Capt Saudamini Deshnukh the lady pilot to command a Boeing and Airbus.
(The picture at the top shows the all women crew with Indian High Commission’s L.Ramesh Babu and Nisha Singh and Air India country manager Alice Joe Paul, Madhumita Gupta and Thanuja Lankatilaka)