The Future Flight Deck: Recruiting, Training and Retaining Women Pilots

In the latest AI in Action Podcast, host Andy Fawkes is joined by Professor Susan Durbin of the University of the West of England, Veronica Zunic, Accountable Manager at Salient Aero, and Susannah Crabol, Flight Training Strategic Portfolio Manager at Airbus, to explore how the aviation industry can recruit, train and retain more women pilots.

Women hold 42% of aviation jobs, and 35% of those are in senior roles.

“Women are in aviation; they just aren’t in the flight deck, and we need to qualify that to start with,” said Zunic. “It’s not a talent problem, it’s a plumbing problem, and every joint in the pipeline has a leak, and we need to fix those leaks,” said Zunic.

The discussion examines the barriers women face throughout the pilot pipeline, highlights initiatives that are making a difference, and considers how greater diversity can strengthen both safety and the future of the industry.