March 8 is recognized as International Women's Day worldwide, an annual event that honors the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women all over the globe. It is also the anniversary of the world's first female pilot license, which is the foundation for celebrating Women of Aviation Worldwide Week every year. Despite being male-dominated, the aviation industry has seen a rise in the number of women pursuing careers and making a name for themselves.

Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA), the world's largest seaplane operator, strives to promote diversity in its workforce and foster the growth of the next generation of Maldivian women in aviation. Whether it is in the daily operations on the ground, as a mechanic, a technician, a flight dispatcher, or a pilot, TMA actively promotes equality in all areas and offers opportunities for career advancement.

To celebrate International Women's Day, Travelution is highlighting the exceptional women working at TMA, who are responsible for ensuring that the airline delivers exceptional service while expanding its presence in the Maldives.

Nabeela Mohamed Naseem – Senior First Officer

Nabeela, a Senior First Officer at Trans Maldivian Airways, has a very different role from the other airlines as it is a 3-crew aircraft. She usually needs to help load and unload luggage, fuel the aircraft and help the cabin crew as needed at the arriving resorts. But she enjoys that they get to experience the tourism side of Maldives by staying at resorts for day shutdowns or overnights.
"The best views I have seen so far are from this job. It brings a new experience every day,” says Nabeela. “I get to talk to a lot of different people from different parts of the world for brief moments which is a nice touch to being a Pilot at TMA as well.”
Nabeela identifies the most rewarding part of her job being flying itself as it has been her dream, she says that she doesn’t feel like she is working when she is flying. “The views change daily and it’s really nice to see the Maldives from above.”
According to her, the most difficult aspect of the job is dealing with unfavorable weather conditions, which can cause the sea to be rough, making it challenging to land the plane. Additionally, after landing, they need to ensure the safety of passengers and luggage during embarkation and disembarkation while being cautious not to injure themselves due to the unstable nature of the sea.
Nabeela's advice to women interested in pursuing a career in aviation is to stay true to themselves and not let negativity from others discourage them “I think women can do anything they put their mind into, it can be challenging but that’s what makes it better in the end. So trust yourself and keep going forward"

Aishath Rifqa Abdulla – Sales & Marketing Executive

Rifqa, joined Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) in August 2021 as a Sales & Marketing Executive. Rifqa's role at TMA mainly revolves around marketing communications and branding. She is responsible for designing advertisements and other collateral, maintaining TMA's digital brand presence, and working on different projects.
Rifqa shared her experience at TMA, stating that it has been a great opportunity for her to exercise a variety of skills and learn new aspects of marketing and branding. “It’s a very dynamic and fast-paced environment here at TMA, if you look at our operations, no two days are the same. We have a very diverse team here and it’s wonderful to meet people from all walks of life, learn from them and be able to expand my worldview.”
When asked for advice to women keen to pursue a similar career path, Rifqa emphasized the importance of being able to perform a wide range of tasks and developing interdisciplinary skills. She believes that working in a fast-paced, constantly- evolving environment requires a strong capacity for adaptation and the ability to pick up new skills along the way.

Hanaan Abdul Azeez – Assistant Supervisor – Crew Training

Hanaan is a Training Coordinator in the Crew Training Department at TMA. Having joined TMA at the age of 18, Hanaan has been working there for a little over two years now. “My role involves monitoring crew member training expiry dates, scheduling training events, record keeping, and other administrative duties,” says Hanaan
Hanaan describes her experience at TMA as a great learning experience that has helped her grow both personally and professionally. She feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals from the field and learn from them.
Hanaan loves what she does and finds the most rewarding aspect of her job to be the ability to continuously learn and develop new skills. She attributes this to the supportive culture and insightful guidance she has received along the way. While the fast-paced environment was initially a challenge, she now looks forward to the daily excitement and tackling any obstacles that come with it.
When asked about her advice to women who aspire to follow the same career path, Hanaan comments “Don't let fear hold you back. Take a chance on yourself and pursue what you want. Keep pushing forward and don't give up!”

Aishath Maharath Muneer – Senior Safety Inspector

Maharath is a Senior Safety Inspector at TMA Safety & Security department. She has been working in the aviation sector for almost a decade and has gained valuable experience in various fields of the industry. Her journey in the aviation industry started as a production planning assistant in the engineering department of Mega Maldives Airlines when she was 19 years old. She joined the TMA in 2019 as a Senior Safety Inspector and is involved in all aspects of the department.
When asked about her experience at TMA, Maharath says, "My experience at TMA has been extremely rewarding. What attracted me to the job most was the learning experience it offered. As safety encompasses all departments and all activities of the organization, we get to learn something new virtually every day and collaborate closely with professionals from different fields.”

However, Maharath was the first female to ever join the Safety department at TMA, and this felt like an immense responsibility and left her nervous to prove herself an equal.
"All my colleagues were extremely welcoming, and I felt part of the team immediately. Today, I have a female colleague in the department, and it is thrilling to see more females in our line of work", she says.
To women who are keen to go forward in the same career path as her, Maharath says, "This is an extremely rewarding job where you get to make a difference and work closely with ALL professions in the field, allowing you to learn about all aspects of aviation.”

We at Travelution, wish all women across the world a very happy women's day!