Flight captain Cordula Pflaum: A role model for young women in Bamberg

Flight captain Cordula Pflaum: A role model for young women in Bamberg

in Bremen and Bamberg currently speaks a story of inspiration and courage - that of flight captain Cordula Pflaum. The 54-year-old, who lives with her family in the Bamberg district, wants to appear as a model for young women and encourage them to also pursue the dream of flying. "It just has to go into the heads that women can also become a pilot," she emphasizes. With her dedicated attitude, she aims to break through gender -specific barriers and revolutionize the image of aviation.

Pflum's passion for aviation started in childhood. Her mother regularly drove her to the airport in Ganderkesee near Bremen, where she watched the starting and landing planes with big eyes. This early interest ultimately led to Pflaum completed the pilot training in Bremen, where she was one of only 20 pilots at Lufthansa in history.

little female role models in aviation

This day, women are still very underrepresented in the aviation industry. At Lufthansa, one of the largest providers in Germany, there are only eight percent women among the approximately 6,000 pilots, and only two percent of the airline captains are female. These numbers clearly show that there is a lack of female role models, which plum sees as one of the greatest challenges. "There are too few female role models," she says, pointing out the necessary visibility of women in professions that are traditionally dominated by male.

To illustrate the challenges associated with this underrepresentation, Pflaum has published her book “Good afternoon, here speaks her captain”. In this work she gives exciting insights into her everyday work at Lufthansa and describes her personal experiences as a pilot. The reader not only gets a look behind the scenes, but also gets an understanding of how important it is that young women have trust in themselves and their skills.

The importance of diversity in aviation

diversity in aviation is not only important for social reasons, but also for the safety and efficiency of flight operations. Studies show that teams with a varied composition can make better decisions, which ultimately leads to increased security. Flight captain Pflaum sees the promotion of women in aviation as a decisive step to bring fresh perspectives and new thinking into the industry.

Finally, it can be said that Cordula Pflaum is a passionate ambassador for equality for women in the aviation industry. Due to her commitment and visibility, she not only shows young women that she too can become a pilot, but also helps to rethink in one of the most exciting and challenging professions in the world.