<p>Equality, diversity and inclusion in the aviation industry are being sought by stakeholders at every level, but how are efforts progressing? In this first of two articles, Bernie Baldwin learns of some initiatives from key players in the struggle.</p>
<p>Breaking a barrier to progress is an important achievement in just about any walk of life or topic. But the break is regularly only the beginning of a change, and often needs to be backed up with considerable efforts reinforcing the step forward.</p>
<p>In the arena of human rights, for example, breakthroughs made many years ago are still being fought over. In the aviation and aerospace industries, progress regarding rights related to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality and disability is certainly an ongoing concern. </p>
<p>There are many initiatives, however. From programmes within airlines, manufacturers and other companies to campaigning organisations for individuals, efforts are being made to ensure recognition and appropriate opportunities.</p>
<p>Women in Aviation International (WAI) is one of the largest organisations of its kind, dedicated to promoting exactly what’s in its name. Its CEO, Allison McKay, hears from members all the time about their perception towards the aviation industry with regard to its dealings in the aforementioned areas.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Allison" src="/getasset/6ae0fda0-3b81-4d45-beea-884211c5f731/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of WAI</p>
<p>“Based on the activity of the airlines in this space, I think our WAI members feel there is momentum for change going forward, especially given the issues with our pipeline coming out of the pandemic,” McKay observes. “Industry has recognised that the traditional ways of hiring and bringing more people in this industry are not enough. And we do need to look towards the other 50% of the population (women) to staff all the jobs and to grow going forward.”</p>
<p>EasyJet’s head of inclusion and diversity, Marc McKenna-Coles, acknowledges that there is “some great work happening and some fantastic examples across the industry” where it is striving to make progress. “However, it is fair to say that aviation is still in the earlier stages across the broader spectrum of inclusion and diversity. So, we are very conscious that more work is needed to make sure it is more inclusive of all, regardless of difference,” he emphasises.</p>
<p><br />
“A lot of work is happening across the airline industry in supporting people from the LGBTQ+ community, such as participating in Prides across the globe, with some organisations starting to review their uniform and standards policies so as to be more inclusive of people’s gender identity and expression,” McKenna-Coles adds.</p>
<p>Gender representation across all levels is still something that needs to continue to be addressed. “Women pilots are still under-represented across Europe compared with higher representation in some parts of the world like Asia. We believe no other airline has done more than easyJet to tackle the gender stereotypes and we will continue to do this,” he vows. “The gender imbalance in the pilot community is a well-known industry-wide challenge that will take many years to reverse and one which we have been actively trying to tackle for a number of years.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of EasyJet" src="/getasset/e828c7e9-0065-42b2-b658-81962f50bf38/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of EasyJet</p>
<p>McKenna-Coles points out that ethnicity and age are also areas on which EasyJet focuses. “This is to ensure that we continue to be reflective of the communities we serve. We recently ran a campaign to encourage older people to consider aviation, challenging stereotypes about the job and showing that being cabin crew can be a job for anyone with the right skills, no matter what their age,” he reports. “In the days directly after the campaign went live, we saw an increase in daily applications of more than 75% and visits to our careers website almost tripled with the proportion of over 60s doubling year on year (from 0.4% to 1%) and the over-45s representing 283 of this year’s crew intake.”</p>
<p>Daniel Rüdel, vice-president and spokesperson for the European Pride in Aviation Network (EPAN), notes that while EPAN members have varying perceptions of the aviation industry regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, many members also have concerns. “They recognise that gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality, and disability can all be factors that can affect someone’s experience. Some of our members have experienced discrimination or a lack of opportunities due to their identity, while others have witnessed these issues affecting their colleagues or peers,” he reports.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of EPAN" src="/getasset/7afd1823-434e-43dd-86c5-429cc172e5cd/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of EPAN</p>
<p>“Overall, our members are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in aviation and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive in their careers, regardless of their identity. That's why EPAN is dedicated to providing a platform for individuals and organisations to connect, share their experiences, and work together to create more inclusive skies,” Rüdel remarks.</p>
<p>The need to keep pushing after the first steps of progress is exemplified by observations from Faye Malarkey Black, president and CEO of the US-based Regional Airline Association (RAA), whose airlines members operate around 40% of all US scheduled passenger departures.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of RAA" src="/getasset/7b780acc-80db-4f44-b2a7-e1e2bd52e39a/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of RAA</p>
<p>“All of aviation has redoubled its efforts on these matters and yet many of our members largely feel like industry’s collective efforts have not been enough to turn the tide, particularly in terms of gender and race/ethnicity. In fact, where we’ve been gaining ground has been outreach,” Malarkey Black notes. </p>
<p>“Every member is involved with multiple outreach programmes connecting people with aviation opportunities. They’ve been very thoughtful in how they approach these issues,” she continues. “Knowing one has to be it to see it, they’re sending ambassadors that look like the kids we’re talking to, showing that aviation has room for them. They’re doing this at earlier ages, and with an approach that doesn’t assume every kid has even been on a flight at all, let alone dreamed of being part of the team of aviation professionals connected in some way to the flight.</p>
<p>“We’re learning that it’s not enough to wake up kids to the career. In many cases, there is a huge moat between them and their goal. For aspiring pilots, this is access and financial inequity. In the United States, there are federal lending and grant programmes that are adequate to fund a doctor or lawyers’ education, but fall short of flight education. Airlines have stepped in with tuition reimbursement, heavily subsidised flight training, scholarship programmes and more, but low-income families still can’t bridge the gap. </p>
<p>“For this reason, we’re backing the Flight Education Access Act, which we expect to be introduced in Congress imminently,” Malarkey Black confirms. “This bill rightsizes student loans to the actual cost of flight education, and increases the forbearance period, knowing that kids must build more flight time after graduating before they can be hired into well-paying airline jobs. </p>
<p>“For other areas, representation still lags. I was delighted to take part in the ERA [European Regions Airline Association] conference in March. It wasn’t until I arrived that I realised I was part of an all-female ensemble of speakers. This surprised some people, yet I’ve taken part in many panels or conferences where I was the lone or one of few women present, which drew little surprise or comment. </p>
<p>“The same can be said for any other under-represented group. There’s more surprise to see a lot of diversity than a little. Until we change that dynamic, we’re going to remain behind on our diversity goals,” Malarkey Black emphasises.</p>
<p>Flying Disabled, founded by aviation accessibility consultant Christopher Wood, campaigns on behalf of PRMs (passengers with reduced mobility). Assessing how the aviation industry is doing with regard to disability, Wood is not too optimistic. “It is rare I encounter anyone with a visible disability working in aviation. Given air travel itself is not noted for its access, this may be perceived as a barrier to the industry in general,” he comments.</p>
<p>Different segments of the industry, as might be expected, are dealing with the challenge of inclusivity in different ways, as Wood appreciates. He is not convinced by efforts so far for his constituency. “In the case of air travel for our disabled community, there has been no change for access for decades, yet land and sea are always innovating with inclusivity. As the booking and airport operations are moving towards a more digital platform, our elderly, less able community are finding it more and more challenging year on year to address the ‘tech’,” he explains.</p>
<p>Wood, therefore is not enamoured by the approach of many airlines. EasyJet, according to McKenna-Coles, is remaining focused on what can be done within the organisation, albeit from more of an employment viewpoint. “We know the importance of creating an inclusive culture to ensure we attract a diverse community of people and that they thrive as part of the easyJet team. We strongly believe that our people should reflect the diversity of our customers and the communities in which we operate – not only does this make good business sense, it is simply the right thing to do,” he states.</p>
<p>EPAN too, sees different segments of the aviation industry approaching inclusivity in various ways. “Some, such as airlines and airports, have implemented diversity and inclusion initiatives to improve their recruitment and retention of diverse talent,” Rüdel acknowledges. “For example, some airlines have upgraded their CRM [crew resource management] training for their crews, while others have set diversity targets and implemented policies to support employees with diverse backgrounds. Some companies have established employee resource groups to support under-represented groups and provide networking.</p>
<p>“There is, however, much work still to be done to create a more inclusive industry,” he posits. “Some segments of the industry, and even different parts of Europe, have been slower to address the issues. There is a need for more concerted efforts. At EPAN, we believe that collaboration and dialogue are key to addressing these challenges, and we are committed to working with all segments of the industry to promote diversity and inclusion.”</p>
<p>WAI’s McKay points out that as the organisation comprises more than 16,000 members around the world representing a wide range of industry segments, it is well placed to see how companies are accommodating or looking at ways to make their staff more included. “For example, on the airline side, we are seeing changes in benefits to include more paid parental and family leave,” she reports.</p>
<p>“I was a member of the FAA Women in Aviation Advisory Board (WIAAB) and in our final report most of the recommendations involved cultural and system changes to address the under-representation of women in aviation. We’ve found across all industry segments that there has been a lot of attention to look for ways to implement these recommendations,” McKay concludes.</p>
<p>With so many barriers to overcome, it is valuable to the industry that associations and pressure groups can call for action to rectify areas in aviation which are not meeting the needs of employees (current and future) and customers. </p>
<p>How equality and equity might be achieved as well as areas of pushback being experienced are discussed in Part 2 of this piece.</p>
<p>Breaking a barrier to progress is an important achievement in just about any walk of life or topic. But the break is regularly only the beginning of a change, and often needs to be backed up with considerable efforts reinforcing the step forward.</p>
<p>In the arena of human rights, for example, breakthroughs made many years ago are still being fought over. In the aviation and aerospace industries, progress regarding rights related to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality and disability is certainly an ongoing concern. </p>
<p>There are many initiatives, however. From programmes within airlines, manufacturers and other companies to campaigning organisations for individuals, efforts are being made to ensure recognition and appropriate opportunities.</p>
<p>Women in Aviation International (WAI) is one of the largest organisations of its kind, dedicated to promoting exactly what’s in its name. Its CEO, Allison McKay, hears from members all the time about their perception towards the aviation industry with regard to its dealings in the aforementioned areas.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Allison" src="/getasset/6ae0fda0-3b81-4d45-beea-884211c5f731/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of WAI</p>
<p>“Based on the activity of the airlines in this space, I think our WAI members feel there is momentum for change going forward, especially given the issues with our pipeline coming out of the pandemic,” McKay observes. “Industry has recognised that the traditional ways of hiring and bringing more people in this industry are not enough. And we do need to look towards the other 50% of the population (women) to staff all the jobs and to grow going forward.”</p>
<p>EasyJet’s head of inclusion and diversity, Marc McKenna-Coles, acknowledges that there is “some great work happening and some fantastic examples across the industry” where it is striving to make progress. “However, it is fair to say that aviation is still in the earlier stages across the broader spectrum of inclusion and diversity. So, we are very conscious that more work is needed to make sure it is more inclusive of all, regardless of difference,” he emphasises.</p>
<p><br />
“A lot of work is happening across the airline industry in supporting people from the LGBTQ+ community, such as participating in Prides across the globe, with some organisations starting to review their uniform and standards policies so as to be more inclusive of people’s gender identity and expression,” McKenna-Coles adds.</p>
<p>Gender representation across all levels is still something that needs to continue to be addressed. “Women pilots are still under-represented across Europe compared with higher representation in some parts of the world like Asia. We believe no other airline has done more than easyJet to tackle the gender stereotypes and we will continue to do this,” he vows. “The gender imbalance in the pilot community is a well-known industry-wide challenge that will take many years to reverse and one which we have been actively trying to tackle for a number of years.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of EasyJet" src="/getasset/e828c7e9-0065-42b2-b658-81962f50bf38/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of EasyJet</p>
<p>McKenna-Coles points out that ethnicity and age are also areas on which EasyJet focuses. “This is to ensure that we continue to be reflective of the communities we serve. We recently ran a campaign to encourage older people to consider aviation, challenging stereotypes about the job and showing that being cabin crew can be a job for anyone with the right skills, no matter what their age,” he reports. “In the days directly after the campaign went live, we saw an increase in daily applications of more than 75% and visits to our careers website almost tripled with the proportion of over 60s doubling year on year (from 0.4% to 1%) and the over-45s representing 283 of this year’s crew intake.”</p>
<p>Daniel Rüdel, vice-president and spokesperson for the European Pride in Aviation Network (EPAN), notes that while EPAN members have varying perceptions of the aviation industry regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, many members also have concerns. “They recognise that gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality, and disability can all be factors that can affect someone’s experience. Some of our members have experienced discrimination or a lack of opportunities due to their identity, while others have witnessed these issues affecting their colleagues or peers,” he reports.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of EPAN" src="/getasset/7afd1823-434e-43dd-86c5-429cc172e5cd/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of EPAN</p>
<p>“Overall, our members are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in aviation and believe that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive in their careers, regardless of their identity. That's why EPAN is dedicated to providing a platform for individuals and organisations to connect, share their experiences, and work together to create more inclusive skies,” Rüdel remarks.</p>
<p>The need to keep pushing after the first steps of progress is exemplified by observations from Faye Malarkey Black, president and CEO of the US-based Regional Airline Association (RAA), whose airlines members operate around 40% of all US scheduled passenger departures.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of RAA" src="/getasset/7b780acc-80db-4f44-b2a7-e1e2bd52e39a/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of RAA</p>
<p>“All of aviation has redoubled its efforts on these matters and yet many of our members largely feel like industry’s collective efforts have not been enough to turn the tide, particularly in terms of gender and race/ethnicity. In fact, where we’ve been gaining ground has been outreach,” Malarkey Black notes. </p>
<p>“Every member is involved with multiple outreach programmes connecting people with aviation opportunities. They’ve been very thoughtful in how they approach these issues,” she continues. “Knowing one has to be it to see it, they’re sending ambassadors that look like the kids we’re talking to, showing that aviation has room for them. They’re doing this at earlier ages, and with an approach that doesn’t assume every kid has even been on a flight at all, let alone dreamed of being part of the team of aviation professionals connected in some way to the flight.</p>
<p>“We’re learning that it’s not enough to wake up kids to the career. In many cases, there is a huge moat between them and their goal. For aspiring pilots, this is access and financial inequity. In the United States, there are federal lending and grant programmes that are adequate to fund a doctor or lawyers’ education, but fall short of flight education. Airlines have stepped in with tuition reimbursement, heavily subsidised flight training, scholarship programmes and more, but low-income families still can’t bridge the gap. </p>
<p>“For this reason, we’re backing the Flight Education Access Act, which we expect to be introduced in Congress imminently,” Malarkey Black confirms. “This bill rightsizes student loans to the actual cost of flight education, and increases the forbearance period, knowing that kids must build more flight time after graduating before they can be hired into well-paying airline jobs. </p>
<p>“For other areas, representation still lags. I was delighted to take part in the ERA [European Regions Airline Association] conference in March. It wasn’t until I arrived that I realised I was part of an all-female ensemble of speakers. This surprised some people, yet I’ve taken part in many panels or conferences where I was the lone or one of few women present, which drew little surprise or comment. </p>
<p>“The same can be said for any other under-represented group. There’s more surprise to see a lot of diversity than a little. Until we change that dynamic, we’re going to remain behind on our diversity goals,” Malarkey Black emphasises.</p>
<p>Flying Disabled, founded by aviation accessibility consultant Christopher Wood, campaigns on behalf of PRMs (passengers with reduced mobility). Assessing how the aviation industry is doing with regard to disability, Wood is not too optimistic. “It is rare I encounter anyone with a visible disability working in aviation. Given air travel itself is not noted for its access, this may be perceived as a barrier to the industry in general,” he comments.</p>
<p>Different segments of the industry, as might be expected, are dealing with the challenge of inclusivity in different ways, as Wood appreciates. He is not convinced by efforts so far for his constituency. “In the case of air travel for our disabled community, there has been no change for access for decades, yet land and sea are always innovating with inclusivity. As the booking and airport operations are moving towards a more digital platform, our elderly, less able community are finding it more and more challenging year on year to address the ‘tech’,” he explains.</p>
<p>Wood, therefore is not enamoured by the approach of many airlines. EasyJet, according to McKenna-Coles, is remaining focused on what can be done within the organisation, albeit from more of an employment viewpoint. “We know the importance of creating an inclusive culture to ensure we attract a diverse community of people and that they thrive as part of the easyJet team. We strongly believe that our people should reflect the diversity of our customers and the communities in which we operate – not only does this make good business sense, it is simply the right thing to do,” he states.</p>
<p>EPAN too, sees different segments of the aviation industry approaching inclusivity in various ways. “Some, such as airlines and airports, have implemented diversity and inclusion initiatives to improve their recruitment and retention of diverse talent,” Rüdel acknowledges. “For example, some airlines have upgraded their CRM [crew resource management] training for their crews, while others have set diversity targets and implemented policies to support employees with diverse backgrounds. Some companies have established employee resource groups to support under-represented groups and provide networking.</p>
<p>“There is, however, much work still to be done to create a more inclusive industry,” he posits. “Some segments of the industry, and even different parts of Europe, have been slower to address the issues. There is a need for more concerted efforts. At EPAN, we believe that collaboration and dialogue are key to addressing these challenges, and we are committed to working with all segments of the industry to promote diversity and inclusion.”</p>
<p>WAI’s McKay points out that as the organisation comprises more than 16,000 members around the world representing a wide range of industry segments, it is well placed to see how companies are accommodating or looking at ways to make their staff more included. “For example, on the airline side, we are seeing changes in benefits to include more paid parental and family leave,” she reports.</p>
<p>“I was a member of the FAA Women in Aviation Advisory Board (WIAAB) and in our final report most of the recommendations involved cultural and system changes to address the under-representation of women in aviation. We’ve found across all industry segments that there has been a lot of attention to look for ways to implement these recommendations,” McKay concludes.</p>
<p>With so many barriers to overcome, it is valuable to the industry that associations and pressure groups can call for action to rectify areas in aviation which are not meeting the needs of employees (current and future) and customers. </p>
<p>How equality and equity might be achieved as well as areas of pushback being experienced are discussed in Part 2 of this piece.</p>