From cabin crew to cockpit: Malaysian woman’s AirAsia pilot dreams take off
She spent some of her teenage years helping her mother at a sundry shop in Malaysia after school, and throughout that period kept a dream of achieving something higher alive. Now, 36-year-old Suriati Sukardi is a pilot, flying AirAsia’s commercial A320 and A321 Airbus aircraft. Before that, she had landed a job as the airline’s flight attendant and served the company for eight years since 2017…
Suriati Sukardi, a 36-year-old Malaysian woman, has followed her dream of becoming a pilot after years of working as a flight attendant for AirAsia. Born and raised in Malaysia, Suriati spent her teenage years helping her mother at a sundry shop. Despite her aspirations, she faced challenges in pursuing her career goal and returned to her role as a stewardess for eight years, from 2017 to 2022.
However, her perseverance paid off when she was offered the opportunity to enroll in aviation lessons in 2019 and ultimately became a pilot in 2022. Initially, Suriati faced difficulties in securing a pilot position, and she had to return to her former role. Nevertheless, two years later, she was granted a chance to fly the Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.
Suriati expressed her gratitude for achieving her dream, acknowledging the role of determination, luck, and hard work in her success. Although she now dons a white uniform while flying, she cherishes her memories of serving passengers in the red uniform during her time as a flight attendant. Suriati hopes that her story will inspire others to pursue their dreams with determination and dedication.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
