HYDERABAD: As the US is celebrating National Aviation Month, India too has a lot to celebrate. Captain Zoya is one such name that’s synonymous with valour, patriotism and courage in India. Captain Zoya Aggarwal is a renowned aviator with several accolades to her credit. Professionally she is an Indian commercial pilot and commander who has flown for Air India since 2004. AI’s Captain Zoya became the first Indian to enter the SFO Aviation Museum in San Francisco recently.
In March 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Captain Zoya served as a frontline volunteer and co-piloted the first repatriation flight to India. She was also a team leader of the Government’s Vande Bharat Mission to evacuate Indians from 12 countries during the pandemic. 2021 was yet another defining year for Captain Zoya.
She was a source of pride to all Indians when she made aviation history by successfully steering a four-member cockpit team and all-female crew on India’s longest non-stop commercial flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru. The feat made her the first Indian female pilot to fly over the North Pole, covering a record-breaking distance of approximately 16,000km and flying non-stop for 17 hours. Another proud achievement was in 2021 when The United Nations chose Captain Zoya as its Spokesperson for Generation Equality, and UN Women flagged off International Youth Day with her, the first time ever a female pilot from Air India was represented on its platform.
Hailing from a middle-class family, Captain Zoya’s dream of becoming a pilot was received with a lukewarm response from her parents. So after completing high school, Captain Zoya pursued two full-time courses for three years. During the first half of her day, she focussed on a Science Degree at St Stephen’s College and then dedicated the latter half of the day to aviation classes. “It has been my dream to become a pilot ever since I can remember. Aviation is something that always came naturally to me and I was sure this was the career path I wanted to dive into from a very young age. Today, my parents are my biggest cheerleaders,” says the captain.
Talking about her initial thoughts after cementing her place in the SFO Aviation Museum in San Francisco, she says, “Earning my place in the SFO aviation museum was an extremely humbling moment for me. Representing my country and being the first Indian female pilot to have this opportunity was something I could never have imagined, and I am honoured to be the symbol of women's empowerment and to make our country proud. This experience only validated my vision that India has a lot to contribute to the aviation industry on a global level and encourage women across the globe to pursue their dreams.”
Elaborating about the flight over the North Pole, where she covered a record-breaking distance of around 16,000kms, she shares, “It is the back-end work and the planning that went behind it which made the flight the success that it was. Most people would not even think of the hours of work that were put into the preparation for this record-breaking flight. I was indeed very blessed to have been a part of this project which was an aviation milestone.”
Captain Zoya believes that The Indian civil aviation sector has seen unparalleled growth for women. “Our country has the highest percentage of female pilots globally which is why I believe that aviation is a great space for women to venture into. I would be lying if I said it’s always been smooth sailing. Like any other profession, mine has had its fair share of ups and downs. Being a woman in a male-dominated industry was one of the initial challenges I’ve had to tackle through,” she says.
When asked to share tips for budding pilots, she says, “In the cockpit and outside of it — set a goal and work hard to achieve those goals. There’s no room for distractions and diversions if you want to be in this line of work. You need to be sure that it is what you want to do and take intentional steps to reach the stars. The sky’s the limit, literally.” As a spokesperson for Generation Equality at UN Women, she is actively working on ensuring that they foresee a world where men and women stand on an equal pedestal. Her vision is to see this change by 2030. “I wish to use my expertise in the industry as well as my influential social platforms to bring about positive change in the world. After all, strong women like us are the ones that will inaugurate the change we wish to see in the world,” she concludes.