BIZ BUZZ: More female pilots flying soon
More women are becoming pilots, but the aviation sector is still dominated by men.
Numbers show that only 6 percent of pilots around the globe are women.
Philippine Airlines (PAL), fortunately, is doing something to narrow the gender gap.
The flag carrier, in fact, pledged P10 million to the PAL Foundation to provide scholarships to aspiring women pilots under the Fly With Her program.
“As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we reiterate our support to women who dream of flying for and even assuming top positions in the PAL organization,” PAL vice president for marketing Alvin Miranda said.
Championing women has always been one of PAL’s missions. The Lucio Tan-led airline’s very own Captain Aimee Carandang-Gloria is the first Southeast Asian woman to fly a commercial flight in 1989. She also made history when she was named a captain in 1993, the first woman to do so in the region.
The flag carrier, in addition to funding scholarships, will release a film featuring a real-life story of a young girl whose desire is to fly a plane.
“When little girls see women take on leadership roles, it inspires them to do the same and possibly go beyond,” PAL assistant vice president for pilot affairs Lilybeth Ng said.
