Breaking Stereotypes and Surpassing Expectations

A group consisting of pilots and stewardess were walking through a busy airport. As they walked among the masses of people and passed by rows of shops, curious eyes can be felt upon them. Being stared at is a not an unusual thing for them. However, the quiet whispers that followed those gazes were. The reason for the accompanied whispers is due to the pilot who is leading the group. The pilot is a woman. She was walking with her colleagues, wearing her pilot uniform and she was blatantly ignoring the eyes and whispers that were directed towards her. This is the usual scenario for First Officer, Aqilah Nadiah binti Khoiri and she always feel delighted in the public’s reactions caused by her appearance every time she walk through the airport to get to her appointed destination.

Although it has been several decades since Amelia Earhart flied solo across the Atlantic, Women in Aviation International (WIA) recorded the number of women involved in the aviation industry is comparatively small and it is estimated that only six percent of pilots worldwide are female. According to Bloomberg, Stephen Terry who is the Principal of Malaysian Flying Academy (MFA) has remarked that less than ten percent of 200 cadets that attend the academy are female. Thus, being one of the few female pilots in the aviation industry mostly dominated by male, Aqilah, a 26-year-old First Officer for Malindo Air, has always strived to beat the odds stacked against her. With passion and sheer dedication, she managed to break several stereotypes and exceed the expectations of those around her throughout her successful career.

(First Office Aqilah Khoiri with Malindo Air captain and stewardess)

(Aqilah Khori looking beautiful on a day out)

Originally born in Dundee, Scotland then later moved to Malaysia with her family, Aqilah never dreamed of becoming a pilot. Unlike her two older sisters who had already decided on their future career paths since young, she was still struggling to find herself and her place in the world. It was after SPM when she stumbled into the profession by chance. She told her parents that she wanted to pursue her interest in culinary arts; her parents dismissed the idea, stating that it was something that can be done as a hobby but not professionally. It was then when her father suggested that she tried being a pilot which Aqilah agreed. That was the start of her career as a pilot.

“Undergoing ground school was the first stage in becoming a pilot. I attended Kuala Lumpur International Flying Academy (KLIFA) where I had to learn the basics of flying and I hated the whole experience. But it all changes when I started flying my first flight. The moment I took off and felt the ground leaving me, I knew then that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I fell in love with flying,” said Aqilah with a huge smile of her face.

However, her journey to become a recognized pilot was not easy. Although Aqilah successfully graduated from KLIFA and attained all the required piloting licenses by the age of 21, there were lots of politics involving flying schools during that period. As a result, thousands of graduated pilots were unemployed including her and she was jobless for two years. Fortunately, Malindo Air, a new airline at the time had opened and had job vacancies. Despite having to compete with over a thousand pilots for the job, Aqilah was truly grateful to have been one of the chosen ones that were offered the job. Since then, she began her journey as a female pilot for Malindo Air and has been doing an exceptional job ever since.

First Officer Aqilah mentioned that she was thankful for the support of her loved ones towards her career choice. Although her parents had no qualms about her chosen profession, her mother constantly worries for her safety all the time.

(Aqilah Khori with her family members)

“I know that she can do it and I believe in her but as a mother, I can’t help but worry for her. She’s my beloved daughter after all,” said Norlaila Omar who is Aqilah’s mother. Nonetheless, her mother continued by expressing her proudness for her daughter and wished her well for her future.

As a female pilot, Aqilah cannot escape from being stereotyped and underestimated at the workplace as well on the outside. Her abilities as a pilot are always being compared to and questioned by her male peers just because of her gender. She even received unfavorable comments from the general public whenever she tells people about her profession. Also, she revealed that her gender is the main reason for her rejection from many airlines during her previous job application. However, this does not stop her from pursuing her dreams. In fact, she sees this as an advantage for her to surprise them with her capabilities and prove them wrong. This strong mindset had led to one of her closest male friend, Hasif Hamid to be amazed by her.

“I am proud of her for being a female pilot, especially in Malaysia. People need to stop gender stereotyping because she is a living proof that women can be as strong and smart as men. We need more female pilots like her in the world.” he said.

Every job has its perks including hers. Although it’s true that being a pilot would affect her social life significantly, the breathtaking view that she gets to see while in the air make up plenty for it.

“If you have a bad day, just look out the window and you can see the stars shining brightly. The best view is the sunset where everything looks like a painting;” she answered. In regards to women who want to become a pilot, she offered this one advice.

“Just go for it. There’s nothing stopping you and there’s nothing you can’t do. Basically, the sky is the limit,” Aqilah said.

Although the number of women in the aviation industry does not show substantial change currently, whether this would remain the same in the future remains to be seen. This situation can change if society were to widen their perceptions and stop gender stereotyping towards women with their chosen professions. If the world practices this theory, then women in the world have the better chance to progress and make more significant changes in the world.

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