The private jet industry is booming right now. As the cost of chartering a jet decreases, more people are subsequently able to afford to travel in style and luxury. However, while the industry is certainly doing well, you can’t help but notice it’s a very male-driven business.
Even the commercial airline sector doesn’t have a huge female presence. When you do see women in the industry, it’s typically as air stewardesses, rather than pilots. So, why does this matter? Here, we’ll look at why more women should consider a career in the private jet industry.
Introducing more role models within the industry
One of the main reasons a lot of women don’t consider getting into the aviation industry, is because of how few role models there are. Women pilots are few and far between, with statistics showing just 6% of pilots in the UK are female. Even more alarming, is that just 3% of pilots are women worldwide.
As girls don’t grow up seeing female pilots, they assume it’s a role they can’t fulfil. However, if more women were to join the industry, it would give young girls important role models they can look up to.
Helping to bridge the skills gap
Although the private jet industry is booming, the more popular it gets, the wider the skill shortage becomes. There is currently a lack of skilled pilots available and it’s starting to affect the growth of the industry. If women were to get into the private jet industry, it would really help to bridge the gap and push the growth of the sector forward.
Commercial airlines are starting to see the urgency for more women in the sector. EasyJet has created a target to ensure that 20% of the company’s new pilots should be women by the year 2020. Other airlines are creating similar goals, but the private jet industry is currently lagging behind.
The benefits women bring to the role
So, what benefits can women bring to the role? We briefly mentioned how it would provide more role models to young girls, which is a huge positive. Passengers are often pleasantly surprised when they book jet hire with a female pilot instead of a male one. However, women have many unique skills which make them excellent pilots. They’re often driven by great customer service and they pay attention to detail.
So, more women are needed in the private jet charter industry if the sector is to grow bridge the skills gap. While the cost of training to be a pilot can be extremely high, women need to know that it’s an option for them if they can afford it.