Indigo pilot Aafrin Hirani’s inspiring journey from grocery store to cockpit

Hyderabad: The journey of 28-year-old Indigo pilot Aafrin Hirani from her family’s grocery store to the flight cockpit is a motivation to youngsters, especially girl students.

Aafrin who is the daughter of Aziz Hirani, owner of a grocery store located in Indervelli Mandal, Adilabad district is now a pilot of Indigo Airlines.

As becoming a commercial pilot was her dream since her childhood, she opted for Aeronautical Engineering after completing intermediate from a college in Hyderabad.

Later, she was selected for two-year rigorous training in Australia. Though she completed training in 2020, she waited for two years as the appointment process was halted due to the pandemic.

A few months ago, she was appointed as the first pilot of Indigo Airlines. After the appointment, Aafrin said that the encouragement and support received from her parents helped her in achieving success.

After her appointment as an Indigo pilot, she became the second woman commercial pilot from Adilabad. Earlier, Swathi from the same district was appointed as a commercial pilot and she was the source of inspiration for Aafrin.

Who is the commercial pilot?

A commercial pilot is a trained professional who flies airplanes or helicopters for the transportation of passengers, cargo, emergency rescue, etc.

They are skilled enough to handle aircraft and ensure passengers’ safety in different weather conditions.

In order to become a commercial pilot, obtaining a Commercial Pilot License from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is mandatory.

This license is given to those who are medically fit and successfully undergo training at a flying school.

Indigo airlines

Indigo is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. Its domestic market share as of August 2022 was 57.7 percent.

The airline not only operates domestic but also international flights. As of July 2022, it operates over 1500 flights daily to 98 destinations in India and abroad.