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July 15th, 2026
My dear Friends, Members & Partners,
Warm Greetings from Women in Aviation India!
As we step into the second half of 2026, it gives me immense joy to share a milestone we can all take pride in: the Women in Aviation India family has grown to over 100 members strong. What began as a vision nurtured by just 15 founding members has blossomed into a vibrant community of aviation professionals and enthusiasts spanning the country. To the WAI India Secretariat and every member who has given their time, energy and belief to this mission, thank you, this growth is yours.
Our work to empower the next generation and champion the role of women in aviation is made possible by the unwavering support of our partner schools and colleges, corporate partners, and industry colleagues. Your collaboration, and the insights you've shared on how our iconic Girls in Aviation Day initiative continues to inspire young girls across the length and breadth of India, mean more to us than words can capture. Your feedback and encouragement sharpen our path forward, and your continued partnership will carry us to even more girls in the years ahead.
To every new member who has recently joined the WAI family, warm welcome. I hope you'll find in this community not just a network, but a shared purpose: to make a real difference in the lives of India's youth. I encourage each of you to bring in your colleagues, friends and fellow aviation enthusiasts, so that this movement keeps growing wider.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, for graciously felicitating five young women from Srikakulam who completed their training at Bird Academy and have now begun their careers at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. What makes this moment especially meaningful is that these young women were first identified during our Girls in Aviation Day programme in Srikakulam back in 2024, a full-circle story of what this initiative can achieve. My sincere appreciation also goes to Kirti Tiwari, Kamal Chakraborty and Archana Wagdhare, who mentored them during that GIAD programme on 18th November 2024. Watching the Minister interact with these young women, seeing the confidence they've built through their training, and witnessing the pride on their parents' faces as they began their careers at Hyderabad Airport, this is precisely why we do this work.
Looking ahead, we are preparing for our much-awaited Awards Ceremony, which will mark another significant milestone in celebrating excellence and recognising outstanding contributions to aviation. Dates will be announced shortly, so do stay tuned through our social media pages. Before that, we're excited to take Girls in Aviation Day to Ayodhya for the very first time, along with celebrations across the Northeast and in Hyderabad. I encourage every member to participate, volunteer, and bring your ideas to the table, this next chapter will be shaped by all of us together.
As our Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said, ‘Nari Shakti is driving India's growth story.’ Let that be our call to action to mobilise our collective strength and contribute meaningfully to a stronger industry, and to the larger vision of a Viksit Bharat.
Very warmly,
Radha Bhatia
President, Women in Aviation India.
