The first-ever flight connecting Goa to Dehradun turned into a memorable event for Shasha Saldanha, the co-pilot, who believes the historic journey would inspire more women to pursue a career in aviation.
According to a senior official from the state tourism department, the IndiGo flight took Goa’s tourism minister Rohan Khaunte to Dehradun on May 23 as part of an agreement between Uttarakhand and Goa to boost tourism in both the states.
Uttarakhand was connected to Goa through this maiden flight. The official said that Saldanha who lives at Parra village in North Goa, the hometown of former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, was specially requested to co-pilot the aircraft as a sign of women empowerment.
Speaking to PTI at the Manohar International Airport (also called Mopa International Airport), Saldanha said that she felt honoured and grateful to be part of “the historic day in the Indian aviation”. “The inaugural Mopa-Dehradun flight was welcomed with a water canon salute as we steered away from the runway,” she said.