Adilabad Gets Their Second Woman Pilot: Know About Her Journey From Grocery Store To Largest Airline In India

With the highest per cent of female pilots globally, India adds one more proud story to their aviation culture with the entry of Aafrin Hirani. Her journey from her family's grocery store to Indigo's cockpit has been inspiring many women to pursue heights that may seem too challenging.

Flying as a commercial airline pilot is no cakewalk and requires intensive training and estimated hours of flying experience. Achieving it through years of dedication and hard work, the 28-year-old becomes the second woman from Adilabad, Telangana, to achieve this feat.

Watching A Dream Turn Into Reality

Aafrin, daughter of grocery store owner Aziz Hirani, officially took up the role of the first officer at Indigo Airlines. Becoming a commercial pilot was a dream she had treasured since her childhood, even though she knew the way toward it was not easy. Either way, she decided to take this route and joined Aeronautical Engineering after completing intermediate from a college in Hyderabad.

The kind of expertise she showcased at the academy led her way into being selected for rigorous two-year training in Australia. Completing all the required training and sessions by 2020, her dreams of becoming a pilot were put on pause due to the pandemic. Not discouraged by any of it, she waited eagerly till the day she reached the cockpit as an official pilot.

A report by The Siasat Daily stated that two years later, she was appointed as the second-in-command at the cockpit of Indigo Airlines. Soon after receiving the appointment, Aafrin thanked her family for the unconditional support they gave to her all those years.

Adilabad Gets Their Second Commercial Pilot

Prior to Aafrin's employment as a commercial pilot, Swathi Rao had made it as the first-ever woman pilot from Telangana.

During a media interview, Swathi noted that the current education and loan systems are such that they do not offer much support to aspirants. Despite these hardships, many women are making it to the position out of sheer perseverance. She had quipped that she would be happy to see more women from Telangana take up piloting as a career.

Hailing from the same district as Swathi, Aafrin saw her as her greatest source of inspiration. The way Swathi's story inspired her into the field, Aafrin's success story would motivate many more women to step into this field in the coming days. Supporting this idea was Aafrin's father, Aziz Hirani, who advised the youth to first choose their favourite field and work tirelessly to achieve success.

Several media reports also highlighted the way Azizi chose to celebrate his daughter's achievement. Soon after Aafrin's first flight after getting licensed, her father gave a few days' leave and sponsored the pilgrimage of 15 of his employees to Tirupati Devasthanam.

Also Read: Indian Woman Pilot Captain Zoya Agarwal Claims Spot In US Museum For Historic Flight Over North Pole