This was published 8 years ago
Singapore Airlines appoints first female pilots to training program
By Craig Platt
Crews control: Singapore Airlines famous ''Singapore Girls'' have been a staple of the carrier's marketing for many years.Credit: Joe Armao
"Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly." That's been the tagline for Singapore Airlines for many years and the "Singapore Girl" has been a focal point for the airline's marketing, with an emphasis on service from its cabin crew.
But soon there could be a new type of Singapore girl on board the airline's flights. The Straits Times reports that the airline has finally employed its first female pilots.
The Singaporean newspaper reported that two cadet pilots had joined the airline's training program in August last year. Singapore Airlines' training program — which takes place in Singapore and Australia — takes two to three years before the cadets can start working on commercial flights.
It's a long overdue step for an airline that has been at the cutting edge in other areas, such as aircraft, cabin design and service.
The airline told The Straits Times there was no quota in place for female pilots and the airline would hire whoever is the most qualified. Singapore Airlines has about 2000 pilots.
Conversely, the airline's cabin crew is about 60 per cent female. The "Singapore Girl" brand has been iconic for the airline, despite views expressed by some that it is outdated and sexist.
See: "Singapore Girl" makes a comeback
The profession of airline pilots is still one dominated by men. According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA), there are about 4000 female pilots worldwide, about 3 per cent of the 130,000 total pilots.
Singapore Airlines lags behind its own subsidiary airlines, budget offshoot Scoot and regional carrier SilkAir, both of which already have female pilots.
Meanwhile, airlines from more conservative countries have been been making progress on addressing the profession's gender gap. Royal Brunei Airways recently became the first carrier to land a plane with an all-female flight crew in Saudi Arabia (a country where women are forbidden from driving), while Ethiopia Airlines in November ran a flight to Bangkok where every aspect was handled by female crew. That meant not just the pilots and cabin crew, but also maintenance, air traffic control and customs. The airline said it hoped the flight would encourage more women to enter the aviation industry.
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