This story of purpose, wings, and belief began 10 years ago. Having spent five decades in aviation and hospitality, Mrs. Radha Bhatia had witnessed the resilience of women working tirelessly behind the scenes, often unacknowledged. Over a luncheon with friends from the aviation industry, Mrs. Bhatia decided to form a group of like-minded women from the industry to give back to the society and light up the path for the younger generations. Fifteen distinguished women from various verticals of the aviation industry joined this movement and ‘Women in Aviation India’ was formed as a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the role of women in aviation.
Chairperson, Bird Group
Supported by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, Women in Aviation India (WAI) is a group of women representing multiple fields and interests in the aviation industry, who are committed to build a strong foundation for the younger generation by introducing, providing networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities with a clear goal to encourage them to make aviation their preferred choice of career. Inspired by the slogan launched by the visionary Prime Minister of India, ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, Women in Aviation India unveiled the slogan ‘Beti ki Udaan, Desh Ka Swabhimaan’.
Engage, Encourage, Empower!
As stated by our Hon’ble P.M. Shri Narendra Modi Ji, “The progress of humanity is incomplete without the empowerment of women”, our endeavours have been designed basis our pledge to engage, encourage and empower women in the aviation industry.
Women in Aviation India first celebrated Girls in Aviation Day in the year 2016 and is now ready to take off with the milestone celebration of its iconic series of programs celebrating the 10th Girls in Aviation Day! Over the last 9 years, we have meaningfully touched the lives of thousands of young girls and women in schools and colleges in more than 30 cities in India, inspiring them with stories of grit and valour, determination and success of several women who made it big in the aviation industry, overcoming unimaginable challenges and obstacles in an industry, significantly dominated by men. Girls in Aviation Day events are held at schools, colleges and even at airports, to provide students a glimpse of an aviation ecosystem, as most of these students have not had the privilege and an opportunity to see an airport before. Our members from across India – a group of enthusiasts collectively representing multiple fields, interests and diverse roles such as pilots, astronauts, entrepreneurs, AMEs, air traffic controllers, academicians, journalists, drone pilots, flight attendants, airport managers, ground handlers, meet and engage with the young students.
Besides an open house of dialogue and engagement, demonstrations of drones, their uses, aero models etc. are also showcased during these programs. Girls keen to join the aviation sector have also been rewarded with scholarships, hand holding them to take their first step toward their aspirations. During this illustrious, path breaking journey, every year we have received the undivided support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, and its associated organizations, state Governments, airports, airlines amidst other stakeholders of the Indian aviation industry. We welcome schools and aviation institutes to partner with us in our outreach initiatives, so we can achieve meaningful change together and make a greater impact through training and mentoring activities.
Last year, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, Shri Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu led the Girls in Aviation Day celebrations on his home turf in Srikakulam. A batch of outstanding students from the state were conferred scholarships and have successfully completed courses in aviation.
Proudly we dotted the map of India marking the cities where Girls in Aviation Day celebrations were held and we are now determined to widen our outreach this year with the invaluable support of our partners and precious members, old & new.
We are indebted to Shri Suresh Prabhu, former Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Dr. Najma Heptulla, former Governor of Manipur, Lt. Dr. Mridula Sinha, Goa’s first woman Governor, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, former Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Vumlunmang Vualnam, IAS, Secretary, MoCA, Smt. Rubina Ali, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, former MoS, Civil Aviation; Shri Rajiv Bansal, IAS, former Secretary, MoCA, Mr. Amber Dubey, former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri R.N. Choubey, former Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation whose unwavering encouragement and guidance gave us the confidence to take flight.
During our course of journey, our many endeavours and outreach programs were aimed at inspiring change, however, the year 2022 marked a landmark moment with the launch of the ‘Wings to Dreams’ awards, our tribute to the remarkable women shaping India’s aviation landscape. These Awards recognize excellence in diverse fields of aviation and help build a value chain where achievers inspire the next generation. Following a thorough selection process, led by an eminent jury comprising of stalwarts of the industry, successful women aviators across categories of airside operations, terminal operations, ground support, flight dispatchers, airline security, fire rescue, engineering, communication, cabin crew and flight operations were felicitated at the award ceremony. Women achievers from nodal aviation authorities BCAS, DGCA, CISF and Pawan Hans have also been recognized for service excellence. Women shining in the arena of flying and defence services like Flt. Lt. Shivangi Singh, India’s first woman Rafale Jet pilot, part of Air Force tableau, inspiring today’s youth as role models have also been awarded at the ceremony. Pioneers like Dr. Shefali Juneja, the first woman to be posted as Representative of India in ICAO, Ms. Tessy Thomas, the Missile Woman of India, the first ever woman scientist to head a missile project in India, received awards at the 3 editions of the WAI Awards held so far, who will pass on the light to generations yet to come.
Taking another step towards encouraging young girls to explore the various avenues in Aviation, 41 selected school girls who had attended Girls in Aviation Day events held across the country in 2024 and 2023 were also rewarded at the Women in Aviation India Awards ceremony, as Young Aviation Ambassadors, wherein they received sponsorship for courses related to the travel & aviation industry. At the first Awards ceremony held in 2022, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, former Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India was the Chief Guest of the program and the Awards 2023 ceremony took place in the august presence of distinguished Chief Guest, General (Dr.) V. K. Singh (Retd.), Hon’ble Union Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation & Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, GOI, who presented the awards to the women achievers. While last year, the award ceremony took place in the distinguished presence of Shri Vumlunmang Vualnam, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India and other eminent dignitaries present at the ceremony included Smt. Usha Padhee, IAS, Principal Secretary, Commerce & Transport Dept., Govt. of Odisha.
The young girls were excited to receive the awards and scholarship from the Minister and dignitaries from the Ministry – what better encouragement than this, to truly give wings to the dreams!
Women in Aviation India will be hosting the next edition of this iconic event in December this year, with an aim to recognize more women trailblazers who will be the #ChampionsOfChange who will inspire the young aspirants and the next generation.
Bridging the skill gap – a journey toward a Viksit Bharat!
Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation recently mentioned that the Centre aims to build 350 airports across India by 2047 as part of its vision for a ‘Viksit Bharat’, more than doubling the current tally of 162 airports. He mentioned that 88 new airports have been developed in the past 11 years, many of them in tier two and tier three cities. As the sector grows, strategic investments in training and skill development will be essential to meet the evolving needs of the workforce. That’s where we need to come together and play a decisive role. Alongside motivating more women to pursue jobs in aviation, we must also encourage STEM education among young girls. Today, there exists a huge gap, we have many educated people, but not as many skilled. Women in Aviation India through its initiatives like Girls in Aviation Day aspires to bridge this gap by encouraging, skilling and empowering the youth.
With the patronage of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, WAI aspires to nurture a profound ambition to increase the role of women in aviation to grow to 50%.
The milestone 10th Girls in Aviation Day 2025 events will be held between September to November this year. This series of celebrations will culminate with the fourth edition of the iconic ‘Giving Wings to Dreams Awards 2025’ in December, this year. It is our mission to change mindsets, overcome obstacles of ignorance, inequity and drive change to create a new world of opportunities for women, especially in remote areas where education may have paved a way, but a noticeable lack of skill development and awareness persists. We wholeheartedly invite aviation experts, institutions, corporate entities, students, teachers and academic institutions to come together to be a part of this mission.
Let’s build India stronger, together. Let’s soar beyond the skies.
