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 while continuing to eye and seek an opportunity to climb further in her career.

In 2019, her prayers were answered when she was offered the chance to take up aviation lessons, completing her course to become a pilot in 2022.

“However, I faced a brief challenge thereafter because I had difficulty landing a job as a pilot so I had to return to stewarding while continuing my search,” Suriati said.

Two years later, a position opened up and she was offered the chance to fly the Airbus A320 and A321.

“After so many years, I am finally soaring above with AirAsia and living the dream I once held close to my heart,” she said.

Though navigating her career in a white tunic now, Suriati will always cherish her memories donning the red uniform, serving the aisles thousands of metres above the ground.

“This is a reminder for myself and hopefully others that dreams can become a reality with determination, a bit of luck and a lot of hard work,” she said.