All-female flight crew an Australian first
Cassandra Morgan |
An all-female flight crew has taken to the skies in what is believed to be an Australian-first.
Women were at the helm of Wednesday’s Virgin Australia flight to mark International Women’s Day, from the flight dispatcher constructing and issuing the operational flight plan to the team in the flight deck and cabin.
A female load controller performed all weight and balance activities and the flight was managed by an all-female pit crew, with support from women airport safety officers and air traffic controllers.
The flight from Melbourne to Brisbane was a celebration of the women who pave a path for future generations to pursue a career in the aviation industry, Virgin’s chief people officer Lisa Burquest said.
The flight involved more than 20 women in more than 10 different roles.
“Behind every aircraft in the sky, there is a highly-skilled team working together to ensure passengers get to their destinations safely and for this flight, every one of these roles is carried out by women,” Ms Burquest said.
The flight VA313, which departed Melbourne at 8.10am and arrived in Brisbane about 9.20am local time was a collaboration between Virgin, Melbourne Airport, the Brisbane Airport and Airservices Australia.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus hoped it would inspire more women to work in the aviation industry.
“As the first female CEO at Melbourne Airport, I’m determined to highlight that women can forge meaningful and rewarding careers in aviation,” she said.
“There are plenty of diverse and exciting career opportunities spanning airports, airlines and air traffic control, from engineering, maintenance and safety positions, pilots and cabin crew to corporate and commercial roles.”
Brisbane Airport Corporation executive human resources general manager Jane Dionysius was looking forward to the day an all-women flight was no longer news.
There wasn’t a single role in aviation that women couldn’t do and Wednesday’s flight proved that, she said.
AAP
