From grocery store to cockpit, Adilabad girl flies high

Ecstatic after bagging the job with Indigo Airlines a few weeks back, Aafrin said becoming a commercial pilot was her ambition right from childhood.

Adilabad: Sky is certainly the limit for women.

Aafrin, the daughter of Aziz Hirani, owner of a grocery store in Indervelli mandal centre, dreamt of conquering the skies, and now, is piloting an Indigo flight through Indian skies.

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Ecstatic after bagging the job with Indigo Airlines a few weeks back, Aafrin said becoming a commercial pilot was her ambition right from childhood.

“I was determined to excel in the field and to set an example for other girls. So, I opted for aeronautical engineering at a private college after completing intermediate in Hyderabad and schooling in Adilabad. I successfully completed pilot training in Australia for two years and finally realized my dream to ride an airplane,” Aafrin told ‘Telangana Today.’

In August, the 28-year-old was appointed as the first captain pilot of the private airlines after faring well in the pilot training in Australia from 2018 to 2020. She was selected for undergoing the rigorous training as she performed well in aeronautical engineering. However, she had to wait for two years to step into the cockpit of an aircraft with the appointment processes getting delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I was a bit nervous to be waiting to fly a plane and to be sitting idle at home even after completing the tough training in a foreign country,” she said.

However, she said she was ecstatic to operate an airplane and lead the crew. She attributed her success to the encouragement and support of her parents Aziz and Navina.

Second woman pilot from Adilabad

Incidentally, Aafrin is the second woman from Adilabad district to become a commercial pilot. Swathi of Adilabad district had already ventured into this sector. She has been a source of inspiration to my daughter, Aziz recalled. He advised girls to opt for a field they liked the most and to strive hard to shine in it.

Father sponsors flight trip to employees

Overjoyed by his daughter’s accomplishment, Aziz fulfilled an unusual vow of sponsoring an air trip to his 15 tribal employees to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam on September 17. He arranged the flight from Hyderabad. He accompanied the workers belonging to remote parts during the two-day long pilgrimage, by closing the store.

Mesram Laxman, one of the employees from Mallapur village in Indervelli mandal, recounted that it was a life-time experience.

“It was thrilling and a memorable event in our lives,” he said.