Globally, women account for less than 20 per cent of the workforce in the aviation industry and their entry into the sector has been stagnant the last six years, according to a 2022 report by the Women in Aviation Advisory Board, Federal Aviation Administration. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said only 6 per cent of airlines have a female CEO, which is broadly in line with 5 per cent global average reported by Deloitte in 2022.
In conversation with DH’s Lavpreet Kaur, Neelu Khatri, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President- Operations, at Akasa Air, discusses the changing perceptions within the industry and what needs to be done to alter the situation. Following are the excerpts from that interaction:
What do you make of the participation of women in the traditionally male-dominated aviation industry?
The aviation industry has been seen as male-dominated. It was pretty similar to the defence forces, where I’ve spent 15 years. But I do think that perceptions are changing now. Of course, it’s not going to happen overnight and that is where the companies need to put in a lot of effort and make conscious policy decisions. For instance, at Akasa, our goal is to have 50 per cent women in each division and function.
As a woman leader yourself, what are the challenges to see before women maneuvering their way to the boardroom?
I’ll first talk from individual aspects. Do we have capable women at the entry level of any function? The answer in India is always a very good yes. However, at senior management level, it remains a question mark.
Many times it’s the background or the families they come from do not groom them to be strongly independent in their thoughts and processes.
As for the organisation, I think it is very important to not merely have the willingness but also translate that into workable policies that are supportive.
What are the primary areas you see women’s participation in the aviation industry today?
We see a major participation of women in the cabin crew/ flight attendants. India also has a good 14-15 per cent of women pilots in the industry available. We do have a fair representation of women pilots in Akasa as well. Additionally, functions of marketing, branding, legal finance, HR have a very happy representation. Where we want to see more and more girls are the engineering segment, the commercial segment, leadership positions and operations planning.
What are some of the steps being taken by the industry to improve women’s participation in it, over the years?
There are two aspects to this. One is - are we giving enough opportunities to help women develop capabilities that can enable them to perform in different functions? India has a lot of women engineers. Somehow this technical education does not translate into participation in this industry. You will find very few aircraft engineers among women. We’re consciously working on upping that.
The second is providing them a supportive and safe work environment.
What, in your opinion, is holding back women from carving a more equitable share in the sector’s workforce and boardrooms?
In this industry you need a passion for aviation. It also calls for very specialised capabilities. India’s aviation industry is only just emerging and holds a huge growth potential. As the industry grows, so will its capabilities to hone technical skills of women, or both genders.
How would you grade the women’s representation in workplaces and boardrooms in India Inc?
I don’t think I’m happy with the percentage of women. For aviation, I would like to see that 14-15 per cent growing into a minimum of 44-50 per cent. Presently I would grade it ‘not satisfactory’.
How has your journey been so far?
I’ve been extremely fortunate.I have not had the kind of an environment wherein people have discouraged me in a big way.