September 28th 2024.
Shibani Kaur Gupta has been a pilot for half of her life, starting at just 17 years old when she earned her private pilot license. While her friends were learning to drive as teenagers, Shibani was busy learning to fly, fueled by her love of planes passed down from her father. Growing up near an airport, Shibani was constantly surrounded by planes and her passion for aviation only grew stronger with each passing day.
As a child, Shibani would often talk about aircrafts, airlines, and different tail registrations and liveries. Her father, always supportive of her interests, encouraged her to meet pilots and even allowed her to visit flight decks whenever possible. It was during one of these visits when she was seven or eight years old that she met a female pilot, an experience that only further inspired her love for flying. However, becoming a pilot was not always Shibani's plan. She initially wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but soon realized it was not the right path for her.
At the young age of 17, Shibani obtained her private pilot license and at 18, her commercial license. She then decided to turn her passion into a career and began working towards her commercial license so she could fly for a living. By 19, she had completed her training and exams and landed her first pilot role, making her one of the youngest pilots in the industry.
Shibani spent 13 years flying for Jet Airways in India before moving to London with her husband. She now works as a Line Training Captain for Wizz Air, a position she has worked her way up to. However, despite having been a pilot for half of her life, Shibani still gets mistaken for a flight attendant on a daily basis.
She has grown accustomed to this misconception and has even dealt with people assuming she is not a good pilot simply because of her gender. One male passenger even refused to board a flight with her as the pilot, citing his doubts about a female being capable of handling a challenging journey. However, Shibani remained calm and professional, successfully convincing him to board the flight and ultimately changing his perspective on women in the aviation industry.
As one of the few female pilots in a male-dominated profession, Shibani is aware of the challenges she faces but also feels privileged to be breaking gender stereotypes and making a difference. She hopes to inspire more women to pursue careers in aviation and prove that women are just as capable as men in this field. Despite the misconceptions and challenges, Shibani remains unfazed and grateful for the opportunity to do what she loves every day.
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