As the world marks International Women’s Month, Philippine Airlines (PAL) seeks to address the gender gap in aviation through its Fly With Her programme.
This initiative helps women pursue their dream of flying for the nation’s flag carrier. In support of the programme, PAL pledged PHP10 million to its PAL Foundation which oversees the scholarship program for women pilots.
Airline vice-president Alvin M Miranda remarked: “As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we reiterate our support to women who dream of flying for and even assuming top positions in the PAL organisation.”
Helping dreams take flight
Aside from the financial pledge, PAL is set to release a film inspired by the real-life story of a young girl who dreamt of becoming a pilot.
PAL assistant vice-president for pilot affairs Lilybeth T Ng said of this: “When little girls see women take on leadership roles, it inspires them to do the same and possibly go beyond.”
Indeed, the gender gap in aviation remains significant, with only around six percent of pilots worldwide being women. PAL continues to lead the way in opening doors for women in the male-dominated industry.
In 1989, its very own Captain Aimee Carandang-Gloria became Southeast Asia’s first woman airline pilot to fly a commercial flight. She broke barriers again in 1993 by becoming the region’s first woman airline captain. Since then, PAL continues to lead the way in opening doors for women in aviation.