Captain Anny Divya, Superwoman of Aviation Industry. world's youngest female commander to command a Boeing 777 Aircraft

 

Captain Anny Divya, Superwoman of Aviation Industry. world's youngest female commander to command a Boeing 777 Aircraft

In the male-dominated profession that is aviation, Globally, less than 5 per cent of pilots are women, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots. It’s known that India has the higher ratio of women airline pilots than the global average, the percentage of female pilots in airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, Spice Jet is on a steady rise.

30-year old Air India Captain Anny Divya,  become the world’s youngest female to command a Boeing 777 aircraft. This is her story and the story about how she fights against the odds to achieve her dream of becoming a pilot.

When I was in class 5, I started to dream of becoming a pilot. I would look into the sky and think oh! Want to be there, flying like a bird, I want to be in the sky and that’s when my mother told me one day that "you should become a pilot" - Captain Anny Divya. 

Then an unimaginable dream that everyone laughed off since the family did not have enough resources to fulfill it or have no idea how to achieve it, not discouraged by these obstacles, her parents encouraged her to pursue her dream and, at some level, influenced the young mind.

Anny Divya was born in Pathankot. Her mother name is Padmini Divya and her father Murahari is a retired Indian Army Personnel, after her father’s  retirement, her family settled down in Andhra Pradesh. She has two sibling named Anne Mahesh and Pria Anne. Divya attended Kendriya Vidyalaya and Nalanda Educational Institution for her school level education and then joined KL University.

When Divya was in Class IX, one of her teachers asked her to list all that she wanted to achieve in life. She create a list, which included degree in law, learning Sanskrit,  learning music and dance, and becoming pilot was on top of the list.

The fire which is burning under pouring water is not worried about the winds. I have no words for people who trying to blow it off, they are forgetting they are blowing it up.. Anny Divya

As she grows up, in class 11th someone told her that she has to score 90% in board exam to become a pilot and she accepted it as true and with work hard she managed to get almost 100% in all subjects. Which definitely was not required for becoming a pilot but her good performance in board exam gave her confidence and "Dare to Dream".

As she has no idea about how to become a pilot, she ask people in her school, family about her dream. In a society where career stereotypes still exist, Anny’s childhood dream of being a pilot was often laughed at by schoolmates. her friends and relatives were not supportive in her career but it was her parents' progressive thinking which gives her confidence and courage to follow her dream.

As she scored good marks and the society in which she lives was inclined toward the professions like Engineering and Doctor her parents suggest her to take admission in Engineering and she got a seat in the Koneru Lakshmaiah College of Engineering. But her heart still wants to become a pilot. She kept writing on books and telling her parents that I wanted to become a pilot.

One day, she got an advertisement of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRAU), a pilot training institute at Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. It was an all-India exam with only 30 seats. Divya decided to appear for its entrance exam, and she got selected. Dream of becoming a Pilot has changed into passion till now but her father's financial condition was not good so he had to somehow raise Rs 15 lakh for the course. He took a loan from bank and relatives.

Anny Divya finally enrolled with the flying school Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, at the age of 17. But the battle has just started. As she was from middle class and non-english speaking background. Initially she faces a lot of difficulties there but she knew that it is her dream to becoming a pilot and she have to prove herself.  However, she worked hard and completed her training at age 19. Then she joined Air India and she was sent to Spain for training when she got to fly the Boeing 737.

At 21 she got her wing

In London, She receives advanced training and she got a chance to fly the Boeing 777, which is the longest-range aircraft and the largest twin jet in the world.  Now 30 years old Captain Anny Divya is among the youngest women commanders of the Boeing 777 in the world. She flies regularly to New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

Her achievement is remarkable and her journey is an inspiration for thousands of girls who wants to pursue their dreams. She said -

A lot people think girl child, girl child. Okay, what's with a girl child? Stop thinking that you are a girl and stop differentiating yourself from anybody because like as a pilot,  it's not a girl pilot or a boy pilot.

                           It's a pilot!