Press releases

MINSK, 12 February (BelTA) - Svetlana Yeremenko has become Belavia’s first female pilot since 1996 when the company was founded, BelTA learnt from the press service of the airline.

Svetlana’s family has a passion for the aviation industry. Her father is the chief engineer of the air traffic radio equipment and communication service. Her mother worked as the head of weather station in an airport in Yakutia. Since early childhood Svetlana dreamed of becoming a pilot. In 2011 she graduated from St. Petersburg State Civil Aviation University with the major in civil aircraft operation. Her career began in the regional air company Pskovavia where she piloted Antonov An-24/An-26. Then she joined Transaero where she took a training course to fly a Boeing 737NG.

Svetlana joined Belavia in November 2015. After the necessary training, including ground theoretical and simulator training, she operated her first flight as a trainee to Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat on 29 December.

Svetlana’s husband works as a pilot in St. Petersburg. When asked about gender stereotypes, Svetlana Yeremenko said: "Today’s world is no longer divided into males and females. If a person has a desire, has good health and education, then it doesn't matter what gender this person is. A plane does not care who operates it. The main thing is to perform all procedures in accordance with safety requirements. Safety comes first.”

For the time being Svetlana flies with an instructor but soon she will start flying as a co-pilot of a Boeing 737NG. In the future, Svetlana wants to become a pilot-instructor.

"We expect that the number of female pilots will increase,” Belavia Director General Anatoly Gusarov said.

The company employs 194 pilots, of them 110 are aircraft commanders.

Belavia is the largest air carrier in Belarus by the number of passengers and cargoes it transports. Belavia operates 27 aircraft, and offers regular flights to 47 destinations in Europe and Asia. Belavia joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 1997 and the European Regions Airline Association (ERAA) in 2010.