Qantas and Jetstar back IWD with 50 flights operated entirely by women

Qantas and Jetstar are taking to the sky this week with over 50 flights operated entirely by women in the lead up to International Women’s Day 2025. 

Taking off from today, the flights aim to inspire the next generation of girls and women to explore career opportunities within the aviation industry, particularly in roles which may be traditionally male dominated.

The flights will be planned, dispatched and operated by over 250 female pilots, cabin crew, engineers, airport and operations centre team members across Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar, and span over 20 routes in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

The first flight, a Jetstar service from Adelaide to Sydney, will take off this morning followed by a range of flights throughout the week including Sydney to Hobart, Brisbane to Geraldton, Cairns to Melbourne, Sydney to Perth, Auckland to Christchurch and Tokyo to Fukuoka.

Second Officer B787 Brigitte Howe said she was proud to stand amongst her female colleagues to recognise how far the aviation industry has come and the incredible career paths available to women.

“It’s exciting to see incredible talent across Qantas and Jetstar come together in force so more flights than ever before can soar in recognition of International Women’s Day,” Howe said.

“These flights are a celebration of all the women who paved the path for the next generation and are ensuring today’s teams can thrive in a more diverse workplace. My hope is that young girls see these these flights and are inspired to take up a career in aviation working beside supportive, passionate, inclusive and seriously talented women.”

Jetstar’s senior manager of Flying Operations Captain Lizzie Archibald emphasised that the all-female crews highlight the exceptional talent and leadership women bring to the aviation industry.

“Jetstar is proud to have women in leadership positions across the airline, inspiring the next generation of female leaders,” said Captain Archibald.

“Today’s flights are such an important moment to showcase to young girls and women all the different career paths aviation can offer, including pilots and engineers.

“From the flight deck and cabin, to the operations centre, engineering, ground staff, and corporate teams, this week is an opportunity to celebrate the invaluable contributions of women to the world of aviation every day.”

Qantas Group gender equality initiatives

Aviation has historically been male dominated, with men still holding the majority of roles as pilots and engineers. The Qantas Group has been working to address this gender imbalance but recognises there is still a lot more work to do. Some of key initiatives include:

• The Qantas Group Pilot Academy has doubled the number of scholarships to 20 for female and First Nations students, helping to broaden the talent pipeline.
• This year, women made up 20 per cent of the apprentice intake at the Qantas Group Engineering Academy, marking an important step to grow the next generation of female engineers. In addition, a record 35 percent of Jetstar’s 2025 engineering graduates are women.
• The Qantas Group is committed to attracting more women into aviation careers through school outreach programs and work experience opportunities.
• The employee-led Altitude Network supports, educates and advocates for women across the Group to achieve gender equality.

“While progress is being made, change isn’t going to happen overnight,” group chief people officer Catherine Walsh said. It starts in our schools. We’re expanding our school outreach to promote aviation as a career to encourage girls to dream big when it comes to their career and follow their interests in STEM.

“Our hope is that young girls will see these incredible women thriving in a technical career to give them the confidence to explore a role that will see them in a hangar, in the flight deck or running this airline in the future.”