A looming shortage of commercial pilots has been widely reported, with estimates ranging from CTC Aviation’s claim that 235,000 more pilots will be needed in the next seven years through to Boeing belief that a further 533,000 pilots will be necessary in the next two decades. What has been less considered is the potential solution an increase in the number of female flight crew could provide airlines destined to have more aircraft than they have pilots qualified to operate them.

As reported by Women of Aviation International, of the pilots currently in operation at commercial airlines, only 6 percent of them are female. To put this into context, the once male dominated medical sector has seen the number of females graduating as doctors increase globally to almost 40 percent in the last 30 years. Aviation is lagging desperately behind.

One obstacle to encouraging more female flight crew would appear to be attitude - not of potential employees but of passengers. A recent example of March this year is that of Carey Smith Steacy, a female First Officer with WestJet Airlines. She received a note from a passenger that read: “The Cockpit of an Airliner is no place for a woman: I wish WestJet would tell me that a fair lady is at the helm so I can book on another flight”.

Steacy is not alone in her experience. Canadian Christina De Auer is a 47-year-old female pilot with Delta Airlines. With 19 years of flying experience in the USA, De Auer supports this notion. “In the early stages of my flying career for sure there was some discrimination… Later in the charter business, many owners did not want a female pilot because they felt it might frighten or worry their clients. At the airlines, there was little or no difficulty with the other pilots in that regard. Once you made it to this level you were respected for the job that you did,” she says.De Auer believes that the nature of the job, or at least the perception of it, explains the lack of female pilots flying planes for major carriers around the world today. “Most women are just not interested in the technical and mechanical nature of the job,” she adds.

Angela Masson is the former head of the International Society of Women in Aviation, as a retired American Airlines pilot she is not surprised that women do not gravitate to the vocation. During an interview with CNN, she said: “I suppose if the job were just were just concerned with flying, there would be a lot more women: but it is wrapped up in a whole lot of other unappealing circumstances.

” In an effort to tackle these perceptions, and to increase the number of female pilots, carriers are considering ways of attracting more females onto their training programmes. For example, British Airways launched their ‘Future Pilots Programme’ in November 2013. Their director of flight operations, Captain Stephen Riley, stressed the airlines enthusiasm for female applicant as it looked to improve on its industry leading 18:1 male to female ratio.

“Even though we have more female pilots than any other UK carrier, the number does not nearly represent the general population, and I actively encourage any women considering a career in flying to apply,” he said. While steps have been taken in the West, the more conservative views in the GCC could hinder the recruitment of female flight crew for local carriers looking to increase the number of female pilots they employ. Yet doors have been opened, and progress is being made. For example, the UAE government's Emiratisation programme has seen Emirates Airlines and Etihad gain their first female Emirati cadets and First Officers proudly representing their country in the cockpit.

One of Royal Jordanian’s 20 female pilots, Alia Twal has been advocating the increase of female pilots in the region through her association with the 99’s, an International organisation, founded in 1929 by Amelia Earhart. It consists of successful women in the aviation industry, spanning 35 countries, with chapters as far reaching as the United States to India to Malaysia. The organisation provides sponsorship, motivation, comradeship and support for any women looking to progress in the aviation world. “Since I have become governor, I have brought eight members to the 99s and, in the process, have unified these women and empowered them in their own community. They are developing relationships and interacting for advice and assistance. We are all looking forward to a bright future of Arabian pilots and we are all hoping to open doors for the women to come,” she said.