The percentage of female aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians rose from 2.7% to 3.0% worldwide, with increases being seen in all regions except the Middle East and Africa.
Every year, as March the 8th draws nearer a buzz starts in the aviation industry. Suddenly everyone wants to know how many women are a part of the core operations in aviation like pilots, engineers, ground handlers? Is the number increased or decreased from the previous year? Discussions and debates on TV and internet make noise about how to increase overall women participation in core aviation circles. The discussions, inspirational stories are circulated via social media, word of mouth etc and then…within a month or so, the discussion dies. Everyone settles back in their comfort zones and all the buzz about increasing the active participation of women in aviation maintenance take a back seat, only to be reclaimed the next year.
This has been happening for years now, and in spite of numerous articles and research on the subject Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) figures reveal a dismal 3% of women in aviation maintenance globally.
MRO Business Today is a proud media partner of a global premier MRO Summit that has contributed in celebrating the contribution that women have made in the aviation sector. The Aerospace Media Group at the 4th Aerospace & Defence MRO South Asia Summit hosted a special session on the role of women in aviation and gathered women from all fields in the aviation sector to celebrate their contribution to the growth of this male dominated industry. The session was graced by some very hardworking and promising young minds along with some seasoned leaders who shined in the sector by carving out an identity for themselves in harder times.
The 5th edition of the Aerospace & Defence MRO South Asia Summit took it up a notch by honoring the contribution made by women at the “MRO Excellence Awards 2024” where Ashmita Sethi, Country Head of Pratt & Whitney was awarded the “Wings of Change Award” highlighting her achievements in leading one of the industry giants into a bright future. The Aerospace Media Group will continue to support and motivate the highly talented and inspiring women in Aviation with every edition of our premier MRO event and XPO.
The 6th MRO South Asia Summit co-located with the MRO XPO India & AIRCRAFT INTERIORS India to be held on 26-27 March 2025 at the India International Convention & Expo Centre (Yashobhoomi), Dwarka, New Delhi will focus even more on recognizing the contribution of women around the globe in elevating our industry to newer skies.
Interestingly percentage of female aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians rose from 2.7% to 3.0% worldwide, with increases being seen in all regions except the Middle East and Africa. The highest increases in this area were again recorded in the Latin America/Caribbean and Asia Pacific regions, and the Asia Pacific region also had the highest global percentage of licensed female aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians with 4.4%.
ICAO’s latest global survey on the status of licensed aviation personnel by gender reveals that the participation of women holding positions as pilots, air traffic controllers, and maintenance technicians has increased on an overall basis from 4.5% globally in 2016, to 4.9% in 2021.
Today, as the International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the globe, we aim to look at some of the organisations that are silently working throughout the year and striving for Women’s rights and increasing the overall confidence of women aspiring to be aviation engineers.
One such major organisation is Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM). It is a nonprofit organization formed for the purpose of championing women’s professional growth and enrichment in the aviation maintenance fields by providing opportunities for sharing information and networking, education, fostering a sense of community, and increasing public awareness of women in the industry.
AWAM is run 100% by volunteers. No committee member, chapter leader, or national board member receives any compensation for the work and time they put in to championing women in aviation maintenance. AWAM is led by passionate women and men who devote evenings, weekends, vacations, and breaks to putting our programs together. Travel costs are out of their own pockets, event supplies often are too. Donations from corporate partnerships do not pay anyone’s salary. They go directly into scholarship, mentoring, and outreach programs and our most basic operating costs, like web hosting and the costs of our exhibit booth.
Stacy Rudser, President at Association for AWAM recently shared a LinkedIn post. She said, “Women make up less than 3% of FAA certificated aviation maintenance technicians, a number that has remained stagnant for decades. It takes commitment from the highest levels of leadership in schools and industry to enact meaningful change.”
Aviation Australia has a dedicated program called FAME (Female Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) program. FAME is an aviation industry-first initiative designed to support and nurture the future female aircraft maintenance engineers as they build their careers in a traditionally male-dominated field. FAME gives an opportunity to young women aspiring to be future AMEs to be a part of growing female engineering community by increasing female participation in the aircraft maintenance engineering workforce across Australia, by providing students with support from key networks and industry throughout their studies
Interestingly this year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has planned to introduce a framework to promote the expansion of the female workforce in India’s civil aviation sector. The country already boasts a 15% female pilot force, which is three times higher than the global average but this initiative aims to further enhance gender inclusivity in aviation.
During the recently held, Wings India event some statistics regarding Women in Indian aviation came forward.
India currently has
- 15% women as ATC (Air traffic Controllers)
- 11% women as in-flight dispatch including cabin crew
- 13% women at mid-managerial levels
“Amidst the exponential growth of India’s civil aviation sector, it is indisputable that the skies are expansive, offering ample space for the inclusion of more women. The launch of a new framework, featuring enhanced mentorship and sponsorship programs, will empower and catalyse this advancement. This framework will also propel Indian aviation into a more gender-inclusive future,” said Jaideep Mirchandani, chairman of aviation major Sky One.
“The proposed framework should also delve into a thorough examination of the opportunities and challenges as far as women’s participation and leadership in STEM fields are concerned. This will facilitate a comprehensive approach to empowerment,” adds Mirchandani.
One of the most common challenges that women face while entering the career of aviation maintenance is culture. Not just in Asian countries, but the concept is widely accepted that AME is a male-favoured and male-dominated industry with little to zero-tolerance to women. This deeply ingrained patriarchal mindset serves as an attitudinal obstacle and inhibits women’s progress in traditionally male-dominated fields like aircraft maintenance.
The most common belief that aviation is a male-dominated industry stamps the gender stereotype and marks them as unsuitable for technical jobs.
The factors influencing female students enrolling in aircraft maintenance technology are explored in several papers. One study found that there is a significant demographic disparity between men and women in the aircraft maintenance technician field, with only 2.3% of the certified aircraft mechanic workforce being women. The study aimed to understand why most women choose not to become aircraft mechanics and found that factors such as perception of physical limitations, career appropriateness, work environment safety, social acceptance, and advancement opportunities influenced their interest in the field.
Another paper discussed the readiness of the aircraft maintenance training industry to produce effective and efficient technicians for the future air transport system. It highlighted the challenges of balancing the skills of technicians for older and advanced aircraft, high attrition rates, and ineffective training methods. The paper suggested implementing a holistic approach and collaboration among stakeholders to address these challenges.
Recent research into women’s perspective on the aircraft mechanic career field revealed that a large majority of women felt unsure or negatively about their potential promotion opportunities and social acceptance.
Since the first women obtained her aircraft mechanic license about a century ago, the growth in women in AME sector has been ridiculously slow. Yes, we still occasionally see a women mechanic donning safety gear repairing an aircraft. Also, many of the MROs across the globe has mandated a specific number of women per shift as a part of their daily routine. Steps like these along with relentless work of certain organisations, various regulatory authorities and support from all the aviation stakeholders will definitely encourage more women to come forward and embrace the wonderful field of aircraft maintenance engineering.
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All-in-all let a women’s contribution in the field of aviation maintenance or any aspect of life be remembered all through the year, even in the remaining 364 days and not just the one day dedicated to her. She deserves and commands much more than she gets, so come, let us give her the respect she deserves.
