On the tarmac of Orly airport, a narrow ray of light finally pierces the thick cloud cover of this February afternoon. It illuminates the shuttle which zigzags between planes ready to take off. Inside the minibus, the passengers are not, however, travelers stamping their feet at the idea of going on holiday in the sun. Yellow vests over their jackets and scarves in the colors of Transavia around their necks, a group of eight schoolgirls from Corbeil-Essonnes get off the shuttle which has just parked at the foot of a huge hangar. Inside, a single plane, whose engine has been removed. After observing the technicians who are busy repairing it, the schoolgirls finally get on board and, in single file, take turns entering the cockpit. Sitting next to them in her pilot’s uniform, Catherine Sonnette, Captain at Transavia, explains to them the maneuvers to be carried out. “It’s impressive!”, enthuses Mélanie, leaving the cabin.
© / Philippine Robert / L’Express
Will the discovery of these professions give birth to a vocation in these young girls? In any case, this is the bet made by the low-cost subsidiary of Air France, which organized this open day at Orly airport in partnership with Airemploi, an organization whose mission is to promote the diversity of jobs and aviation training, as part of its “Let’s feminize aeronautical professions” program.
Because at a time when the sector is affected, like many others, by labor shortages, the lack of female workers is felt all the more cruelly. Contrary to what Epinal’s image of the air hostess might suggest, parity is indeed a distant mirage for certain aviation professions. “Only 6% of our pilots are women,” sighs Ariane Muraour, Transavia’s human resources director. While they are over-represented among cabin crew (65% in the branch), they are on the contrary under-represented among cabin crew (7%). “And this proportion is not progressing: candidates for training are always rare”, notes Catherine Sonnette. In technical trades, engineering or maintenance, there are also very few women.
self-censorship
At Transavia, we hope to stimulate a different dynamic. The airline will very soon open negotiations to conclude an agreement on professional equality with the social partners, including progress objectives. To reach them, discovery days like these are essential. “Aviation companies want to take on more women, but there are still many obstacles to overcome: the goal is to show young girls that they have their place in these professions”, explains Ana Féré, air transport adviser. at Airemploi.
Among the most important obstacles, mentalities that evolve too slowly, among young people but also among parents, as well as self-censorship. Teenage girls recognize it, they have trouble imagining themselves in certain jobs, such as those requiring physical strength or high resistance to stress. “In thirty years, feminization has progressed very little in engineering schools: young women who have completed a scientific terminal will rather move towards medical studies or business schools”, adds Isabelle Dumareix, technical director at Transavia.
After a morning of presentation of the different aviation professions, provided by their “godmothers”, women occupying positions of responsibility at the Transavia headquarters, the afternoon is devoted to practical work. Nourchene Habhab, operations manager, shows them how the terminals and baggage check-in counters work. Lelia Cardon, stopover supervisor, explains to them the delicate crossover that she must orchestrate every day and invites one of the schoolgirls to call for boarding. In the hangar, they discover maintenance operations with Charlotte Hubert, Production Support Manager for the subcontractor iGO Solutions. Stars in her eyes since the beginning of the visit, Sirine, one of the schoolgirls, confides to us at the end: “I imagined myself as an air hostess, but now I say to myself, why not a pilot?” A vocation may have been born.