Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, was founded on April 15th 1936. Today just over 10% of Aer Lingus pilots are female. Though this figure is low, it is better than the international average of just 3% female pilots. Around 4,000 of the pilots in the world are female.
Just over forty years after the airline was founded Aer Lingus appointed its first female pilot. Grainne Cronin took up duty on April 29th 1979. Ms Cronin, who was 23 years old was a native of Ennis Co Clare and the daughter Aer Lingus Captain Phelim Cronin.
Grainne Cronin went on to become a captain. She made history again in 1988 as captain of the first all-female Aer Lingus crew. The flight from Dublin to Shannon aboard a Shorts 360 aircraft, had Grainne in command and Elaine Egan as first officer. By 2008 there were over 500 pilots working at Aer Lingus and around 10% were female. In that year Davina Pratt became the first female chief pilot and director of flight operations at the airline.
The first Aer Lingus flight, with an all-female crew of Captain Grainne Cronin and Co-Pilot Elaine Egan flew from Dublin to Shannon in the year 1988 On This Day.
Aer Lingus Shorts 360 by Ian A Gratton on 2013-10-09 22:26:32