International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8. The first IWD gathering occurred in 1911. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned journalist, feminist and activist said, "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." This year Airways Aviation Academy decided to take a step further to ask their women employees if they were able to give them a non-bias environment.

Laura Protat, the Deputy to Chief Operations Officer while sharing her experience said, “My work and dedication to this company has never been underestimated. I truly feel comfortable in this safe and encouraging atmosphere that has really been able to fuel my need to achieve greater goals each day. As a pilot, I have been welcomed on a red carpet in the Aviation Industry.”

Ipsos Mori, a collaborator on the International Women's Day annual study, with the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King’s College in London, has found that the majority of men acknowledge that gender equality can only be achieved with men’s support. It is important for men to look at all women as equals to achieve the stability the world requires.

Commenting on this, Sophie Vindevogel, Flight Instructor in Airways branch Huesca, Spain said, “My job is to be the best right wingman and teacher that I can be. And it is an absolute privilege. In aviation, we need people with the capability to think on their feet and to be able to command an aircraft. If they happen to be women, great! The air is, and always needs to be, a place free from prejudices.”

Recognizing one’s potential has been a priority at our Academy. We have a majority of Female staff in Airways Aviation Australia and more Female students in the UK branch. “There is nothing better than working with women from different cultures and ethnicities who encourage, support and motivate you irrespective of their positions in the Academy. This diversity in our workspace makes the world a smaller place giving us new perspectives and experiences” said Christina Avramidou who works as the Business Development Officer in the UK.

Aishwarya Badarinath, an Integrated student from the UK branch, says, “Most people mistook my passion for flying and suggested me to apply for cabin crew. Airways Aviation for me was a breath of fresh air and I was motivated to take over this path towards achieving my dreams after attending an inspiring AA seminar about how women are better Pilots. I was lucky to receive a small scholarship as well.”  The Aviation Industry globally has only 5.18% of Female Pilots, while most of the women are flooding in Cabin crew, Ground Handling, and other departments alike. Last year, Airways Aviation announced the female scholarships to change these numbers and invite more women to explore the world of Flying. We have fortunately been able to recruit many through the year 2018 and look forward to supporting more women. We are committed to offering female scholarships in all our courses in Europe to make sure we motivate more and more women to enter the amazing world of Aviation.

Airways Aviation would like to take this opportunity to thank every woman that is behind the success of this Academy for their commitment, hard work, patience, and positive spirit. To achieve what we have today would not be possible if not for each one of you and we hope to continue to show gratitude to you every single day. We would also like to thank all the Female students who have excelled in every way and hope we’ve made their journey memorable.

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