Female pilot inspiring others in male-dominated job

Kate Newton wants to inspire other women to train to become a pilot

Only about nine percent of pilots worldwide are currently women.

The number of females deciding to take on the role has been steadily growing each year, but still remains at less than 10% - around 72,428 women.

Among the piloting female alumni is Kate Newton, from Bristol, who works for easyJet. The 35-year-old is part of growing network encouraging other women to enter the industry.

"I would say the same to everybody, regardless of gender, if you have a real passion for aviation then the avenues are all there for you to be able to achieve your goal of becoming a pilot," the said.

For Ms Newton, it was an easy career decision due to her family's "strong aviation" links.

"My dad is also an easyJet captain and I have been privileged enough to be able to fly with him a few times, which was honestly fantastic," she said.

"My grandfather was in the RAF and my great-grandfather flew in World War One and World War Two."

First officers are paid between £48,000 to £86,000 per year, while captains can earn up to £173,000 annually.

Despite the lucrative wage, it is still a career that many women do not train for.

"There is a lot of information online and a couple of highly regarded flying schools that are UK-based," Ms Newton added.

"Once you’ve got the technical foundations, you’ll be surprised to hear that a large part of the day-to-day challenges in this job involve team work and managing people, rather than pulling big hydraulic levers or engineering."

Easyjet has set itself a target of recruiting 1,000 new pilots by 2028

Since joining the airline ten years ago, she said "perceptions are changing" when it comes to women working in the currently male-dominated industry.

"The technical job is the same regardless of your gender and perceptions are changing, but we know this takes time which is why it remains important to keep a focus on it," she added.

"I’m really proud to be female pilot and also really proud of the hard work going on behind the scenes at easyJet to make the pathway into aviation more accessible for everyone."

The airline is recruiting 1,000 new pilots by 2028 as part of a five-year drive, with an aim of increasing its numbers of women pilots.

Bosses have launched a pilot school visits programme and Summer Flight School to attract more women to the career.

About 7.5% of easyJet’s pilots in the UK are women compared to the UK industry average of 6.5%, with around 300 women, including 99 captains, now flying for the airline.

BA, Ryanair and Jet2 were approached for a comment.