Airlines 2025 Recap

“One organisation or company alone cannot increase representation and retention of women in aviation. However, Elevate(her) has the roadmap and by working together we can finally have a tangible, positive impact on these statistics which will benefit every area of aviation.”

It was an honour to be a Keynote speaker for the Airlines 2025 conference in Westminster yesterday. In my speech I spoke about the importance of female retention in the aviation industry.

The industry will need 300,000 more pilots in the next decade. Airbus forecasts over 42,000 new aircraft in 20 years, Boeing says 44,000 by 2043. That means more aircraft, more flights - and a massive demand for skilled professionals in all areas of aviation. By 2030, we’re looking at a 20% increase in demand for engineering, maintenance, and operations roles.

But here’s the reality: We can’t fill this demand if we’re only recruiting from half the population.

Airlines invest enormous time, money, and energy into training every pilot and engineer. When women leave the industry, we don’t just lose people, we lose talent, investment, and future leaders.

Realistically, women’s representation in pilot roles has only grown 1% in 14 years which is staggering.

We believe that retention is the number one issue when it comes to increasing the numbers of women in the aviation industry. Brilliant outreach programmes cannot resolve this issue alone, if women then choose to leave mid career.

Improving maternity policies, return-to-work pathways, and career progression ensures that airlines and operators retain experience, training, and leadership potential. When women stay and grow in aviation, they become the mentors and role models to inspire the next generation and help change the perceptions on aviation careers.