Flybe recently hosted the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter Seminar at its training academy in Exeter.

The Charter was first launched in July 2018. Over 50 companies signed up, with more joining regularly since. We talked to attendees at the Flybe event about why these commitments matter.

Maja Gedosev, Flybe, called the Charter “a game-changer in the aviation industry,” saying she expects it to “make waves”.

“Gender is the obvious starting point, but diversity breeds further diversity.”

Nick Goss, GKN Aerospace said: “I think the Charter’s really important to coalesce both the aerospace and the aviation industries together to make sure that we’re working with one another to address some of the diversity issues we have, not just around gender, but also some of the other diversity challenges. Gender is the obvious starting point, but diversity breeds further diversity. So I think it’s really important to make a start with, fundamentally, 50% of our workforce.”

Gedosev added: “In the short-term, what we need to see is an agreement around how we are going to tackle the current skills gap that we’re facing in the aviation industry. [We need to] set some targets for all of us. In the long run, I hope that we do close that gap, and that we actually have the right and appropriate number of people, and that that we create a pipeline of future talent that is going to take those positions.”

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