Air India Flight takes off with all-women crew

In a unique celebration of International Women's Day, Air India today sent itsall-women crew Air India Express (AIE) flight from here to Dammam in Saudi Arabia.
The Air India Express flight no IX885 took off from Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at 5.05 PM.
The crew comprised Commander captain Taniya Anand, co-pilot Yuvika Sandhoo and cabin Crew in-Charge Deepa Natarajan, CC Neha Bijoria, CC Shalini Kinkar and CC Chinju Chandran.
The crew also celebrated International Women's day by cutting a cake at the airport before departure.
Commander captain Taniya Anand told reporters that she had been flying for the last eight years and flying an all-women crew for the third time.

"Last time it was fromThiruvananthapuram to Dubai. It will take four hours from hereto Dammam," she said.

Co-pilot Yuvika Sandhoo said she had been flying forsix years and it was a proud moment for all the staff.
Air India Station Manager Nagesh Shetty said the special flight was arranged to celebrate womanhood.
AIE at present has 856 staff, of which 360 are women employees, constituting 42 per cent of the workforce.
The deputy chief of AIE commercial department and two of its four board members are also women, he said.
Airport director J T Radhakrishna and other officials were present on the occasion.