CAKE AND BUBBLY AWAIT ALL FEMALE CREW AS THEY DISEMBARK IN ENTEBBE / UGANDA
(Posted 09th March 2019)
International Women’s Day is always an opportunity for employers to showcase what strides have been made to allow female employees equal access to opportunities and for advancement and promotions.
(Some of the ladies of the Brussels Airlines Kampala and Entebbe team on duty)
The tourism industry in general and the aviation industry in particular, have for long been a domain of female workers, however often with some visible downsides.
Top management positions in travel, tourism and aviation are still more often than not occupied by males and while in line positions and middle management this has largely changed towards fuller equality, the world still has to go a long way to promote and employ female applicants for the top jobs.
Brussels Airlines, this correspondent’s favourite airline to fly from Uganda to Europe, is the exception to the rule it seems.
Not only is the airline run by a female Chief Executive, still a rarity at that level at European legacy carriers, but female to male ratio on employment too has significantly changed over the years.
Next to female flying staff, the airline employs women on all levels and in every department, leading to a total of 51.7% of its workforce.
Therefore is a Brussels Airlines flight operated by an all-female crew – fortunately – no longer the rarity anymore it once was, as 10.2% of the company’s pilots and 70.4% of its cabin crew are women.
On International Women’s Day this year, as in past years, did the company want to underline once again the importance of a gender inclusive world and therefore Captain Anne, First Officer Katti and Cabin Crew Members Ann, Tania, Sylvie, Sophie, Ellen, Elke, Pascale, Gina and Sandy yesterday operated flight SN467 to Kigali and Entebbe.
Little did they know what welcome awaited them at the terminal in Entebbe, where the airline’s local staff, female Civil Aviation Authority and handling agency staff were all lined up to greet them, as they deboarded their plane.
Meanwhile were all female passengers given a selection of cupcakes to also enjoy the end of their journey to Uganda on International Women’s Day, after being flown and served on board by women who made their way in what used to be a 100 percent male dominated domain – the cockpit of a commercial aircraft.
The Country Manager Uganda for Brussels Airlines, Geert Lemmen who arrived on the same flight, welcomed the crew to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, with but a few words so as not to stand in the way of the celebration, for which champagne bottles were opened and a giant cake cut.
Well done to Brussels Airlines and in fact all the airlines which on the 08th of March dispatched aircraft staffed by female crews – a tribute to equality and gender sensitivity.
Related articles:
https://atcnews.org/2019/03/08/brusselsairlines-to-operate-an-all-female-crew-flight-to-entebbe-and-kigali/
