Squadron Leader Sania has become the first woman officer to attain the Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification, the highest educational rating for a pilot in the Indian Air Force, the Indian Air Force said on Monday.
She said her achievement – a turning point in the Indian Air Force’s 93-year history – would inspire pilots across the country.
“Excellence flies. Sqn Ldr Saanya achieved a historic first when she became the first female officer to achieve the Cat-A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification. Her achievement exemplifies dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence. He is a proud milestone for the IAF and an inspiration to aspiring pilots across the country,” the IAF wrote on the X.
Sanya, identified by the Air Force only by her first name, is an accomplished transport pilot. As a Cat A QFI, it is qualified to train junior pilots, casual pilots and other instructors as well, officials familiar with the matter said. They added that the Cat A rating is the highest educational rating a qualified foreign investor can achieve.
She was commissioned to join the Israeli Air Force 10 years ago.
The development comes seven months after Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh became India’s first female fighter pilot to receive the QFI badge after completing a grueling six-month training course at the Indian Air Force’s Flying Instructors School at Tambaram in Tamil Nadu. Women transport and helicopter pilots certainly earned the QFI badge before Singh.
The Indian Army has come a long way since it started recruiting women as short-duty officers in the early 1990s. Women in uniform are no longer on the sidelines, but are being assigned key roles alongside their male counterparts across the three services. They fly fighter planes, serve aboard warships, command front-line units, are inducted into the PBOR cadre (personnel below the rank of officer), receive a permanent commission, and undergo training at the National Defense Academy.
To be sure, tanks and infantry combat positions are still no-go areas for women in the Indian Army.
