WOMEN AIRLINE PILOTS: A tiny percentage of flight crews and only growing slowly. India is a standout

IT WAS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY on 08-Mar-2010, and the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation proudly "acknowledged" flag carrier Air India's historic flight between Mumbai and New York JFK.

It was unique that day in that flight AI141 operated with an all female flight crew on the Boeing 777-200LR. There was no Air India man in sight.

It was different at head office. There the same profile does not apply, either for the airline's management or its board. Despite India's generally favourable attitude to women in high places - notably in politics - on that day the company counted just one woman board member among the 10 directors. In management, the balance was rather more generous, with six of the 36 senior executive team women - yet only one of them reports directly to the CEO.

On the same dedicated Women's Day, you could have counted on the fingers of one hand the female CEOs of commercially significant airlines across the world.

There is little immediate prospect of a great shift in this profile, either at Air India, actually one of the more women-receptive employers, or in any other airline.