Aviation Women Meet In China

“Aviation in China is, of course, growing by leaps and bounds,” spokeswoman Abby Bried of the International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA) told AVweb on Tuesday. That’s why the group met in Shanghai last week for its 17th annual conference. “They are in the midst of creating their aviation markets, from A to Z. And women are very much a part of it, holding very high-level positions in all aspects of China’s aviation industry,” Bried said. About 100 Chinese women attended the event, together with about 100 IAWA members from around the world. Speakers at the meeting included FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, Patti Grace Smith of the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation office, and many other industry leaders from Russia, Hong Kong, Europe and China. The meeting was co-hosted by China’s Civil Aviation Administration. China recently announced that the first five women training to be airline pilots are due to graduate soon. “Given the severe pilot shortages in China, their qualification is even more welcome,” China Daily reported.