On International Women’s Day, more easyJet passengers will be flown by female pilots than ever before
EasyJet, Europe’s leading airline, is celebrating International Women’s Day with more female pilots flying on one day for the airline than ever before – also believed to be a European record for the most female pilots rostered by an airline in one day.
With over 100 female pilots on today’s roster, 60 per cent of easyJet’s female flight crew have come out in force to take part in a campaign which is using the hashtag #SheFlies to raise awareness for the airline’s Amy Johnson Flying Initiative, a campaign by the airline to encourage more women to become pilots.
Today easyJet’s female pilots will fly from 24 bases in eight countries, to hundreds of destinations across the airline’s European network.
Women will be flying almost a quarter of today’s schedule meaning around 45,000 passengers will be flown by a female pilot today and in some cases, an all-female crew. Six all-female crews – which include a female Captain, First Officer and four female cabin crew – will fly between London, Bologna, Rome, Milan, Munich, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Agadir.
Captain David Morgan, Director of Flight Operations at easyJet, has recently been named as an ‘Agent of Change’ by Management Today and the Women’s Business Council, for leading real transformation at easyJet and in the aviation industry through easyJet’s Amy Johnson Flying Initiative.
Captain Morgan said:
“easyJet is working hard to encourage more women to join this hugely rewarding profession and I believe that no other airline is doing more on this issue. Last week we announced a partnership with Girlguiding UK and the sponsorship of a new aviation badge to inspire young girls at an early age and our pilots have visited over 140 schools since launching the initiative to inspire the next generation of pilots.
“According to recent research conducted with our pilot community, a lack of female role models is a key reason that many girls and women do not consider a career as a pilot. Having our female pilots out in force on International Women’s Day will provide visibility of female pilots and hopefully inspire some girls and women to take up this rewarding career.
“At around 6 per cent female pilots in total, easyJet is above the global average. We are working towards reaching our target of 20 per cent of new entrant pilots to be female by 2020. In 2017 female new entrant co-pilot numbers were up by 48 per cent year on year and so we are headed in the right direction – with days like International Women’s Day giving us an opportunity to encourage more to train as a pilot.”
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