Female pilots wanted at Air Namibia

Female pilots wanted at Air NamibiaCadet training programme to launch this year The national airline currently has 14 female pilots in its employ, which acting MD Mandi Samson feels is not enough. Air Namibia is on a drive to prioritise the training of female pilots, acting managing director Mandi Samson said recently.

The airline welcomed its first female pilot in 1997 and currently has 14 women among the 83 pilots it employs.

Said Samson: “It is fitting that the theme for International Women's Day (IWD) 2017 is 'Be Bold for Change'. The battle for a more gender-inclusive world is the responsibility of every industry. IWD recognises, as do we, that the potential women offer to economies across the world must be nurtured and developed.

“Air Namibia is keen to encourage more women to enter the aviation industry. The potential growth rewards for both their personal careers and the national forecast are impressive, with aviation being an integral part of Namibia's future economic development.

“Currently, the aviation industry is perceived as predominantly a male domain. This deters women from pursuing careers in a sector which would benefit from equal representation.”

According to Samson, there are several reasons why women are still underrepresented in Namibia's aviation industry.

The perception that the sector is dominated by men is one important psychological reason for the relatively small number of women pursuing aviation as a career, but there are others.

“For instance, there is an economic barrier to training for many women. Pilot training is an expensive endeavour and, for the purposes of career progression, it requires attendance at a reputable flight school.

“These economic constraints have contributed to discouraging women to pursue a career path in aviation in the past. In addition, the career trajectory naturally takes time, with a significant number of years passing between the entry level and flying our largest plane at command level,” she explained.

“Air Namibia has created an explicit career path for all pilots within our airline. They are first employed as first officers and then developed into captains.

“We are committed to mandatory training at all stages of a career, ensuring that pilots exceed their expected performance and consistently adhere to aviation regulations and requirements.

“The first female pilot was employed by Air Namibia 20 years ago, in February 1997. Currently, 17% of our 83 pilots at Air Namibia are female. We recognise that this figure is too low and are taking steps to increase representation across the airline,” said Samson.

“It is increasingly clear that girls in high school are unaware of the entry point for aviation studies and this information needs to be conveyed at career days in schools and communities.

“We recognise that catching potential pilots young and explaining their career trajectories and which subjects they need to study is the best way of developing young women for a future in the aviation industry.”

STAFF REPORTER