All-female crews fuel next generation ambitions at Qantas and Jetstar

Spanning 10 of Qantas and Jetstar's popular domestic routes, more than 50 women will have crewed the 22 flights, recognising how far the industry has come, while demonstrating the rewarding career paths aviation can offer.

The series of flights culminate with nine flights that took off on International Women's Day, Sunday 8 March. The first, a Jetstar service from Melbourne to the Gold Coast, took off in the morning, followed by a range of QantasLink regional services including Tamworth to Sydney, Coffs Harbour to Melbourne and Sydney to Wagga Wagga.

On the ground, more than one hundred students attended the Jetstar Career Immersion Day in Melbourne in partnership with Melbourne University and RMIT, and the Qantas NextGen Aviators Career Day in Sydney. Almost 100 pilots, engineers, operations specialists and aviation leaders delivered talks, workshops and interactive career sessions.

QantasLink Captain Tomoko Sakurai Dahlstrom will speak at Qantas' NextGen Aviators Career Day and has operated several of the International Women's Day flights this week.

"Up in the air, our International Women's Day flights not only celebrate those who paved the path for us to fly today but show the crew of tomorrow what's possible.

"I'm proud to speak with students at our career day and share what it's like to work in aviation today alongside supportive, thriving and talented women. Our hope is to see as many of the students at our career days in a hanger, flight deck or cabin one day."

Qantas Group gender equality initiatives

The Qantas Group is continuing its work to improve gender balance. While progress is being made, there is still more to do. Some key initiatives are:

• The Qantas Group's Women in Leadership Program equips women to move into senior roles through workshops, coaching and networking. Women now make up 40.7 per cent of senior roles across the Qantas Group. The Qantas Board is 50 per cent female, and the senior executive team comprises seven women and five men.
• The Female Pilot Council focuses on enhancing the experience of female pilots throughout key life stages, including professional development during pregnancy and return-to-work support after parental leave.
• Advocacy for gender inclusion through key relationships with Champions of Change (as a founding member), IATA, Chief Executive Women, Parents at Work and National Association of Women in Operations.