Empowering Women in Aviation: Airbus Shares Insights at APATS 2024 WiAT Session

In September, the aviation industry gathered for the Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium (APATS), Asia’s largest aviation training conference and trade show, where one of the standout sessions was the Women in Aviation Training (WiAT) discussion. 

Sponsored by Airbus and presented by the company’s Flight Training Strategic Portfolio Manager, Susannah Crabol, the session was all about bringing the conversation around gender diversity in aviation to the forefront. 

Susannah shared some fascinating insights about the Airbus approach to diversity, equality, and inclusion, with a focus on how they’re supporting women in the aviation industry.

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Airbus and Gender Diversity in Aviation

Airbus is  working to promote gender diversity as a central part of their broader strategy. One of their key messages from Susannah was about the importance of nurturing interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)and aviation careers. 

The company recognises the need to break down traditional barriers that often steer women away from industries like aviation. Overall, Airbus is actively working to encourage passion and talent from an early age, across all genders.

Progress and Goals

At the moment, 20% of Airbus employees are women, which is already a 2% increase from the last few years. There’s been similar progress in leadership roles, with 33% of their Board of Directors and 18% of senior management positions held by women. 

Airbus is also focused on improving the gender balance in new hires—26% of their external hires in 2023 were women, which shows a steady increase.

What’s Enabling This Progress?

There are several important enablers that are helping Airbus move the needle on gender diversity:

• Ownership and accountability: Susannah emphasised that buy-in from top management has been crucial. By making leadership accountable for diversity goals, they ensure that these efforts are not just surface-level but ingrained in the company’s operations.
• Learning ecosystems: One key approach has been to create an environment of ongoing learning. Airbus provides training on unconscious bias, helping employees recognize and address biases they may not even be aware of. This is part of a broader effort to foster an inclusive work culture.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Internally, Airbus has set up Employee Resource Groups, like Women's Networks, which offer mentorship, internal sponsorship, and a community for women to support one another.
• Externally, partner associations such as Elles Bougent, Capital Filles and more help reach out to schools, particularly aiming to inspire young women to consider careers in STEM in France.

Policies and Programs in Action

Susannah also highlighted some of the practical steps Airbus are taking to ensure their recruitment and workplace practices support gender diversity:

• They’ve adopted gender-sensitive language in recruitment materials and adapted their recruitment policies to be more inclusive.
• Airbus has set realistic recruitment targets and created recruitment events designed to attract more women into aviation.
• Leadership programs specifically designed for women have been launched, aimed at developing female talent and preparing them for leadership roles.
• Partnerships with schools have been strengthened to promote STEM education, with a particular focus on reaching underserved communities. These efforts include outreach programs and social diversity programs run in collaboration with local institutions.

Looking to the Future

The WiAT session was a revealing look into how Airbus is actively shaping a more diverse and inclusive future for the aviation industry. They’ve made notable strides, but they’re also very aware that there’s still work to do. 

The conversation isn’t just about hiring more women; it’s about changing the culture of the industry and creating long-term opportunities for every talent to thrive.

Through programs, policies, and partnerships, Airbus is showing that real progress is possible when you combine passion, accountability, and a commitment to continuous learning. They’re creating the structures and support systems needed to ensure that women in aviation can succeed at every stage of their careers.

We thank Susannah and Airbus for making it such a powerful WiAT session. It reminded us all that creating a more inclusive aviation industry is not a simple fix, but one that requires dedication, collaboration, and the willingness to challenge the status quo.

The next WiAT live session will be held on Thursday 7th November at EATS (European Airline Training Symposium) in Cascais, Portugal, where will be joined by ‘Captain Mum’ who will be revealed, Captain Veronica Zunic, Salient, Professor Sue Durbin, University of the West of England and Captain Salvador Costa Pereira, Sevenair Academy.

The session at EATS 2024 will centre discussions on making the industry more family friendly and look at pathways and procedures for change. 

Find Out More About The EATS 2024 WiAT Session