This IndiGo captain and mum is flying high with the best of two worlds

Ever since the lockdown in India following the spread of coronavirus was announced in March, Aparna Sinha, a Captain with IndiGo Airlines, has been at home with her family.

As a mother, Aparna can sense that her two-year-old son Agastya, cannot somehow fathom why both his parents are not in uniform and bidding him goodbye every day. However, she says, he is delighted to have them both at home full-time.

Aparna Sinha has been flying for the past 10 years with IndiGo since she decided to do a pilot’s course and join the airline. An Electronics and Communications Engineer, she refused a job at Infosys, choosing instead to take the aviation route inspired by her father, who was in the Air Force and others, who flew commercial flights.

A life around flight schedules

Currently based in Gurugram, the pilot says she would never imagine herself in any other profession.

“I was pretty familiar with the industry, but you don’t realise what happens until you are in it. People from other professions may think it’s a hectic job to fly, but I would say, apart from the erratic life, it’s actually advantageous if I plan my life around my flight schedules. My working hours are less compared to those in other industries. I get at least nine to 10 days off in a month,” she says.

Aparna was initially posted in Kolkata and then moved to Bengaluru, before finally deciding to settle down in Delhi. Her husband is also a Captain with AirAsia, and that she says is a big advantage as he understands her routine well.

“The first two years after marriage was difficult because we were both posted at different stations – I was in Bengaluru, and he was in Mumbai working with Air India Express. Eventually, both of us moved to Delhi, and life became much easier,” she recalls.

While guidelines mandated that Aparna could not fly during her pregnancy, the airline gave her a ground job, which she worked on until the week before her son was born.

After 26 weeks of maternity leave, she admits she was quite sceptical about how she would manage to leave her baby at home.

“It’s then I realised it’s never going to get easier. So, I thought it best to dive into it and see how it went. For me, both the roles are divine, and flying is something that comes naturally to me, and I love it,” she says.

Strong support system

As the proverb goes, "It takes a village to raise a child," Aparna also credits her strong support system that has enabled her to have a career, and also enjoy motherhood. Her in-laws stay with them, and her parents live close by, and both families pitch in to look after the child.

However, there are times when her son sees her in uniform and doesn’t want to let her go. Those are difficult times, but she tries to always say goodbye to him while leaving, and also take a day-off when her presence is required at home.

That, her husband also has flexible working hours and around 10 days off in a month, further helps with the routine. So, both of them get enough time to spend with him.

Aparna also makes sure she spends quality time with him planning the day with engaging activities.

During the lockdown period, she works for a few hours from home and spends the rest of the time with her son.

This routine will, however, change once commercial flights begin operations, and Aparna has to go back to work.

“Of course, I am going to miss him a lot, but once I reach the working environment, I will be able to concentrate on my job, especially knowing that I have such a strong support system at home. The only problem I face is that I am not contactable when I am flying. But there’s nothing I can do about it,” she says.

“I cannot think of myself doing any other job though it’s challenging, and there are periods when I have to do a lot of multi-tasking. And as we all know, take-off and landing are the most stressful parts of the job,” she adds.

Aparna believes that being a captain is being advantageous in many ways.

“I'm not sure about other careers, but I would always recommend flying as a career for women. Firstly, because you have the option of not taking your work home. Once you land, your job is over. Also, Indigo has been a very supportive employer where everyone is easily approachable to discuss any issues we may have,” she says.

Aparna plans on continuing with IndiGo as she says, “life is best here.” Surely, she is flying high with the best of both worlds.