Everything To Know About Ayesha Aziz, India's Youngest Female Pilot From Kashmir

Ayesha Aziz, a 25-year-old from Kashmir, is India’s youngest woman pilot. While most of us at sixteen was going through crazed teenage dramas, Ayesha Aziz made headlines back in 2011 when she became the youngest student pilot to get a license at the age of 16.

Aziz was besotted with the skies as a child. She was in 5th standard when she first thought of flying. While her brother would be scared and always sleep on the flights during the visits to her native Kashmir, Ayesha has been always fascinated by the take-off and landing of an aircraft.

In 2012, she underwent a two-month space training course at the US space agency NASA where she met John McBride and her idol Sunita Williams. During her stay in Alabama, Ayesha completed advanced training at Nasa’s Space Academy at Huntsville in space shuttle mission, micro-gravity, manned manoeuvring unit, multi-axis training and extra-vehicular activity.

In 2016, Whisper India released an inspirational video which featured Aziz along with four other fierce women achievers on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Ayesha is a proud commercial pilot who rose from humble backgrounds in Kashmir towards the pinnacles of success. Her industrialist father, Abdul Aziz , belongs to Mumbai where she was born and raised. Her mother, Khalida Aziz, hails from the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. She also has a brother, Areeb Lokhandwala, who looks up to her as his idol.

Ayesha Aziz surpassed the negativities and got herself titled as a sucessful pilot. She acts as a source of inspiration and an epitome of empowerment for numerous Kashmiri women.

While speaking to ANI, Ayesha said that she believed that Kashmiri women had progressed immensely in the last few years and have done exceptionally well in the field of education.

I think Kashmiri women are doing very well, especially in education. Every other woman in Kashmir is doing her Masters or her doctorate. People of the Valley are doing great.

-Ayesha Aziz

Talking about the odd timings required by her job and a dynamic work environment, the 25-year-old said that she was happy to take on the challenge.

I chose this field because I have loved travelling since a very young age and was very fascinated by flying. One gets to meet so many people. This is why I wanted to be a pilot. It is quite challenging because this is not like a normal 9-5 desk job. There is no fixed pattern and I have to constantly be ready to face new places, different types of weather and meet new people. In this profession, one’s mental state should be very strong because you’ll be carrying 200 passengers and it is a great responsibility.

-Ayesha Aziz