In celebration of the 77th Independence Day, Indigo made aviation history by hiring 77 female pilots for its Airbus and ATR fleets.
Senior Vice President of IndiGo, Captain Ashim Mitra, stated, “We are thrilled to announce the historic induction of 77 female pilots into our Airbus and ATR fleet.” We at IndiGo have always advocated for an inclusive and diverse work environment. We value and honor the significant contributions that women have made to IndiGo, both as inspiring leaders and in terms of their technical expertise. In addition to being essential to our foundational values, we sincerely believe that diversity and inclusion are major forces behind innovation and expansion. We commit to keeping these principles at the forefront of everything we do.”
This endeavor aligns with the Girl Power Ethos of IndiGo and Women Empowerment in the Aviation Industry.
Representation in Aviation
IndiGo has made notable strides in gender diversity within the aviation industry. The airline has the highest number of female pilots employed by any airline globally, with 643 female pilots making up approximately 15% of its total pilot pool. This achievement was recognized with the ‘Women Empowerment in Aviation and Aerospace’ award from the Indian Women Pilots Association (IWPA).
Encouraging Women in Leadership
IndiGo is focused on increasing the representation of women in leadership roles, aligning with initiatives like IATA’s 25 by 2025. This commitment reflects the airline’s dedication to fostering a more inclusive workplace.
The IATA (International Air Transport Association) programme, specifically the “25 by 2025” initiative, is a commitment aimed at promoting gender diversity and inclusion within the aviation industry. The programme encourages airlines and industry partners to set measurable targets for improving gender representation, particularly in leadership roles.
IndiGo joined this initiative in 2022, positioning itself as a change agent in the aviation industry. The initiative emphasizes the importance of increasing the share of women in leadership positions. IndiGo has expressed its commitment to this goal, highlighting its efforts to empower women within the organization and promote gender equality in the workplace. Almost half of IndiGo’s team members are women; approximately 44% of the workforce is comprised of women as of 2023.
IndiGo Shakti
IndiGo’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) division aims to enable people to make positive changes in their lives. The airline wants to tackle the many issues affecting our society, including education, empowerment, and social assistance, by working together with their partners, suppliers, consumers, and other like-minded organizations. The goal of IndiGoReach is to connect with people on a personal level as well as via aviation.
Gender equality and equal opportunity creation are important to the organization’s objectives and those of community development. A program called IndiGo Shakti aims to give women more options for generating income so they may provide happy, healthy, and meaningful lives for their families as well as themselves.
The women’s empowerment programs are centered on expanding women’s access to education, career training, and employment opportunities so they may become independent, self-assured, and engaged contributors to the socioeconomic advancement of their communities. Interventions are made to provide rural women with the skills they need to engage in a variety of income-generating activities both on and off the farm by training and empowering them.
In summary, the IATA programme, particularly the 25 by 2025 initiative, is a strategic effort to enhance gender diversity in the aviation industry, with IndiGo actively participating to drive change and promote women’s empowerment within its workforce as well as community develpoment through IndiGo Shakti program.