International Women’s Day: Air India’s all-women crew pilot flight from Trichy to Dubai and back

On International Women’s Day, an Air India plane flew with the all-female crew from Trichy in India to Dubai (UAE) and back.

Air Indian Express flight AI 1611 departed from Trichy Airport in Kerala on Monday, March 8, landing in Dubai later in the evening and flew back (AI 1612) just before midnight, landing in Trichy early hours of Tuesday, March 9.

The all-women crew was led by pilots Sahiba Kanwal Dev and Kanak Sunit Chaturvedi and cabin crew Saranga, Shilpa Katare, Priti Singh and Sushmita Brahma.

All-women flight cabin crew in the Air India Express flight from Trichy to Dubai (Photo: Supplied)

Air India also operated another all-women crew on its inaugural domestic route between New Delhi and Bareilly on March 8. Flight AI 9I701 flew from New Delhi to Trishul Military Base, Bareilly Airport, Uttar Pradesh, with two pilots and f

Last year, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Air India flew 52 domestic and international flights with its all-women crew.

All-women crew pilots Sahiba Kanwal Dev and Kanak Sunit Chaturvedi in the cockpit of Air India Express flight from Trichy to Dubai on IWD (Photo: Supplied)

The first all-women crew was commissioned in 1985 on flight F27, commanded by Captain Saudami Deshmukh, which was the first such flight in the world on any aircraft among IATA Airlines.

India tops in the number of women pilots globally, with Indian carriers employing close to 12.4% women pilots, much higher than the world average of 5.4%.