Clad in white and navy blue attires, First officer Katti Wellekens and Captain Anne Asselman piloted the Brussels Airline flight from Brussels to Kigali International Airport on the 8th of March. Right from the pilot to the cabin repair technician, the flight was 100 % feminine. This exceptional gesture served to underline the importance of a gender inclusive world, according to the airline’s management. Coline Everard, the country manager of Brussels Airlines in Rwanda said the airline advocates for equal rights between men and women and that this was a chance to raise awareness about the inequalities that still exist in the quest to achieve gender balance. She noted that on such a special day (International Women’s Day), the airline had the honor of sending such a strong message highlighting the need to see more women in the aviation industry. At Brussels Airlines, women are employed on all levels and in every department, leading to a total of 51.7% of its workforce. However, female pilots constitute only 10.2%, and 73% of the cabin crew. Everard hence said this is a call for action to raise awareness that there is still an imbalance on how women are represented in this field. “We really want to stand up with very big highlights; women are still under represented in the aviation industry but our aim is to ensure that both men and women are well represented and also have equal chances to full career potential,” Everard said. Wellekens believes both men and women should have equal opportunities when it comes to career growth noting that women on the other hand should have the courage and the belief that they can do it. Her counterpart, Asselman applauded the airline’s gesture saying that it is a good platform to show the world that women can do it as well. “I don’t know why there is need for a special day for that because to me, women and men are the same. But apparently we still need it for there is still a lot to be done because a number of countries, including Belgium still have a big gap in gender equality,” she said. She also encouraged women to have confidence and believe that they can do absolutely everything.
