News

The U.S. airline celebrated the second edition of the “Girls in Aviation Day” program at Quito, Ecuador, where more than 14 girls between 14 and 16 years old had a unique experience exploring various areas of the airport and had the opportunity to meet women leaders in different fields who shared insights about their roles, careers, challenges, and rewarding experiences in the aviation industry.

On September 10^th, United Airlines provided an unforgettable experience to 14 girls between 14 and 16 years old at Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador, to celebrate Girls in Aviation Day.

This is the second year Quito has hosted a Girls in Aviation Day event, and attendees had the unique experience of exploring various areas of the airport, including airline departure lounges, gate and boarding areas, immigration, security, VIP lounges, the control tower, catering services, food vendors, aviation firefighters, and more.

During the visit, they met women leaders from the different fields who shared insights about their roles, careers, challenges, and rewarding experiences in the aviation industry. The girls also enjoyed an engaging talk hosted by Grupo Lila.

The “Girls in Aviation Day” program is a United Airlines action in collaboration with Women in Aviation International (WAI), a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and promoting the participation of women in all aviation fields and professional interests.

“It is essential for girls to have other women as role models, this provides them with a tangible vision of what is possible to achieve. By seeing women in various roles in aviation, girls can understand that there are no limits to their ambitions; and they are motivated to pursue their dreams and broaden their horizons,” said Margarita Robles, uIMPACT Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for United Airlines.

United hosted a series of events to recognize Girls in Aviation Day at its airports across Latin America including Quito (Ecuador), Monterrey (México), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City (Panama), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

“At United Airlines, we are excited to once again celebrate Girls in Aviation Day in Quito. Our goal is to inspire the next generation, showing them that aviation is a world full of opportunities, with such diverse careers, where only the sky is the limit. We thank Quiport and everyone at Quito Airport for making this meeting possible, for sharing our vision of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and for dreaming of a future without barriers,” said Bettina Carvajal, Country Manager of United Airlines in Ecuador.

On the other hand, Ramón Miró, Quiport’s President and CEO said: “At Quiport, we are committed to promoting equity and empowerment of future generations. We are proud to collaborate with United Airlines on the Girls in Aviation Day program, which gives young talent the opportunity to explore and get closer to one of the most dynamic and exciting industries in the world. These types of initiatives are crucial to inspire girls to consider careers in aviation, helping them find the employment opportunities that exist in our industry. We believe we can contribute to building a more inclusive and diverse future for aviation by promoting their interest.” Since 2015, WAI has promoted Girls in Aviation Day globally. As an active community partner of WAI, uIMPACT, United’s women’s business resource group, has over time organized different events to inspire girls around the world to pursue careers in the aviation industry.