New Delhi: The all-women team of Air India (AI) pilots are likely to script history as they will be flying over the North Pole in an effort to cover the longest air route in the world. The flight commander, AI Captain Zoya Agarwal, will leave from San Francisco and reach Bengaluru. She will fly over the North Pole and cover a distance of 16,000 kilometres.
The flight commander, Agarwal feels privileged to fly over the North Pole, which will not be seen by many, and even its map in their lifetime. She calls it a golden opportunity to command a Boeing 777 inaugural SFO-BLR, which is one of the world's longest flight over the North Pole.
Captain Agarwal further talked about the team she will be flying with. She said she is "extremely proud" to have experienced women in the team, which includes, Captains Thanmai Papagari, Akanksha Sonawane and Shivani Manhas. This will be a moment in history as an all-women pilot team will fly over the North Pole for the very first time. Agarwal said that flying over the North Pole is a "dream come true" for any professional pilot.
Prior to this, Captain Agarwal also achieved the feat of becoming the youngest woman to ever fly a Boeing-77, in the year 2013. An official from Air India said that the journey over the North Pole is very difficult, that is why the airline companies send the best ones to fly over the North Pole. This time the responsibility is given to a woman pilot to fly from San Francisco to Bengaluru via polar route.
Not only the first all-women pilot team to fly over the North Pole, but Captain Agarwal will also become the first woman of the airline to command flight over the North Pole.