Marking International Women’s Day, Air India, along with Air India Express and AirAsia India is, the commercial airline has scheduled a total of over 90 all-women crew flights as a tribute to the spirit of the power of women. The number is also significant in relation to the 90th Anniversary of Bharat Ratna JRD Tata’s first commercial flight. Air India stated they have been operating these all-women crew flights on international and domestic routes since 1st March 2023. "In tune with this year’s International Women’s Day theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, it exemplifies the myriad ways in which women have contributed to the aviation sector and enriched it and emphasises the diversity and inclusion of the airlines’ women workforce," the airline stated. Women constitute over 40% of Air India’s workforce, with 275 of its 1825 pilots being women, representing 15% of the cockpit crew strength and making it an airline having one of the largest number of female pilots."<br/>
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Kiwis in search of winter sun will soon have their pick of Australia’s hotspots, with Air New Zealand set to restart two routes to Queensland. The airline will resume direct flights from Auckland to Cairns from March 29, and to the Sunshine Coast from June 25. Flights will be operated on the A320 and A321 aircraft. The Cairns route will see up to four services a week and run until October 25, while the Sunshine Coast route will operate three times a week, until October 15. Air New Zealand also operated these services throughout the winter season last year. The seasonal services add to Air New Zealand’s year-round flights to the Gold Coast and Brisbane, which operate out of Auckland and Christchurch. Air New Zealand also offers flights from Wellington to Brisbane. Tourism and Events Queensland group executive marketing Michael Branagh said with routes to four destinations, Queensland had more direct flights from New Zealand than anywhere else in Australia. “These new Cairns and Sunshine Coast direct routes provide Kiwis the opportunity to easily access stunning parts of Queensland they might not have visited before and we’re excited to welcome travellers to the Sunshine State,” he said. Air New Zealand short haul general manager Jeremy O’Brien said Australia was an important market for the airline and they were thrilled to be able to restart the seasonal services. “The Aussie region makes up more than 20% of our network with over 2.6 million customers flying across the ditch pre-Covid. We look forward to continuing to offer them multiple gateways into and out of the country.” The end of this month will also see Air New Zealand relaunch its nonstop flights from Auckland to Bali, which have not operated since 2019. This service is also seasonal, running until October 27.<br/>