Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport
Update on Issues in Aviation Sector: Engagement with Mr. Willie Walsh
Mr. Willie Walsh:
The industry is doing that. Let me put this into context, however, because it is important. I again give credit to Aer Lingus, which went through a detailed programme to encourage more female applicants. Where we are failing is in getting applicants.
I may have these figures slightly wrong but they are more or less correct. In 2018, Aer Lingus ran a scheme to recruit 18 pilots. It had 7,600 applicants, 8% of whom were female. Why was that not a 50-50 split, given that our population is roughly 50-50? We need to get into schools at an early age. When we talk about careers, we need to be clear that a girl can do everything and all the same jobs.
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