Aviation

Emirates , Air india and Brussels Airlines salutes its female employees on International Women’s Day

Emirates

Dubai, U.A.E., 7 March 2019 – Across the world every day, Emirates’ flights connect people and businesses, enabling travel, tourism and trade. Whether from the cockpit, or inside the aircraft cabin, on the ramp or at the hangar, at service desks across the world or from headquarters in Dubai, Emirates’ female employees make an important contribution to the successful operation of every one of the airline’s flights, every day.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day Emirates has released a videothat celebrates the diversity of its female staff and highlights the varied roles held by women across the company.

In addition to roles such as cabin crew and pilots, women also work in a number of technical positions spanning aircraft maintenance and aircraft appearance in engineering as well as in ramp, flight, crew and cargo operations. This includes specialised roles such as aircraft licensed engineers, cargo load masters, ramp operations team leader, turnaround coordinators and flight dispatchers.

Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines advocates equal rights between men and women and – in a broader perspective – a more inclusive world in general. As a symbolic gesture on International Women’s Day, Brussels Airlines operates its flight to Kigali and Entebbe of 8 March with an all-female crew, to raise awareness about gender inequality in Europe as well as in Africa, the airline’s most important market.

Brussels Airlines operates all-female flight to Kigali and Entebbe for International Womenâs Day

A Brussels Airlines flight operated by an all-female crew is – fortunately – not a rarity anymore as 10.2% of the company’s pilots and 73% of its cabin crew are women. Nevertheless the company wants to underline the importance of a gender inclusive world and therefor Captain Anne, First Officer Katti and Cabin Crew Members Ann, Tania, Sylvie, Sophie, Ellen, Elke, Pascale, Gina and Sandy will operate flight SN467 to Kigali and Entebbe on international Women’s day.

Air India

NEW DELHI: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Air India said more than 40 of its domestic flights and 12 international flights will take off with an all-women crew.

“Air India is set to fly 12 all-women crew flights on its medium and long-haul international routes and over 40 return domestic and short-haul flights all over India to celebrate the International Women’s Day on March 8 this year,” Air India said in a statement.

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Air India will deploy its B787 Dreamliners and B777s aircraft to operate the aforementioned 12 international flights.

“Women pilots and cabin crew will be operating Airbus family aircraft as well as dreamliners to over 40 domestic destinations and back to commemorate the occasion,” the airline added.

Aviation

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.