SEPANG, 8 March 2023 — AirAsia announces the resumption of its popular Cadet Pilot Programme after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, with the aim of encouraging enthusiasts in the aviation field to enrol and be on their way to taking to the skies. 

The Cadet Pilot Programme is a special 24-month long course curated to equip future pilots with the training and credentials they need to be captains of the skies. The programme, incepted in 2004, has taken in many aspiring female cadets who have since gone on to become First Officers, Senior First Officers and Captains with AirAsia.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2023, AirAsia hopes to encourage more women to sign up for the programme and add to AirAsia’s rapidly growing female pilots. The airline was a trailblazer in empowering women to lead the aviation workforce ‒ typically a male-dominated industry from pilots, engineers to ramp agents. More than a decade ago, AirAsia became the first airline in Asean to open the door for a female pilot with Captain Norashikin Onn, who also became the first female commercial pilot in Malaysia. It has since gone on to recruit 157 female pilots across the group including AirAsia Indonesia’s Captain Monika Anggreini, and Captain Suwapich Wongwiriyawanich, who started as a cabin crew member before becoming the first female captain of an Airbus 330 in Thailand. 

The programme has turned dreams into reality for many - including for young women over the years. Two of the airline’s first female Cadets from the programme, Captain Ilyana and Captain Noor Hafizah, have been with AirAsia for 17 years. In 2019 alone, an incredible 44 women enrolled - many of whom are now First Officers with the airline. 

Riad Asmat, CEO of AirAsia Malaysia said: “I’m thrilled to announce that we’re restarting our Cadet Pilot Programme after two long years, and it comes at a special time for us. As we slowly resume operating at full capacity, we see a surge in demand for travel like never before. As our aircraft count grows to accommodate this demand, we will undoubtedly be looking to expand our family of pilots.

“I hope that everyone who has a passion for flying will not miss the chance to join our programme. At AirAsia, we pride ourselves in being an equal-opportunity workplace and we welcome female pilots-in-the making to join our humble family. There’s never a dull day in the cockpit and our senior pilots are always ready to mentor and guide our cadets. So if you’ve got what it takes, come and join us and forge your career path in the skies.”

For more information on how you can be AirAsia’s next captain, scan the QR code in the image or visit this link.

AirAsia wishes women all over the world a Happy International Women’s Day!