National engineering day and Nadia’s journey in aviation

National Engineering Day is on November the 5^th this year. It aims to make engineering and the UK’s engineers more visible by celebrating how they improve everyday lives and shape the world around us. It is a day when The Royal Academy of Engineering (www.raeng.org.uk) invites the public to marvel at engineering and to inspire the next generation of graduates to make it their career. Here is the account of how Nadia Ismail began her career in aviation.

Nadia Ismail’s story is one of resilience and hard work

Nadia Ismail’s story is one of resilience and hard work. Today, she serves as a First Officer at EasyJet, but her journey to get there wasn’t easy. From the moment she decided she wanted to become a pilot at the age of 13, she has shown a commitment to making her dream a reality, even when things did not always go her way.

From a young age Nadia had considered a career in medicine and dreamt of becoming a doctor. However, everything changed when she saw the news about the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in 2014. The event had a profound impact on her, sparking her interest in aviation and the mysteries surrounding the flight.

Motivated by this new passion, she enrolled at the University of Liverpool to study Avionic Systems with Pilot Studies

Motivated by this new passion, she enrolled at the University of Liverpool to study Avionic Systems with Pilot Studies, a degree that blended her interest in flight with her fascination for technology.

“I chose Avionic Systems because of my strong interest in modern aviation technology,” Nadia explains. “I believed that an electrical engineering–based degree—covering systems such as satellites, antennas, and automation, would give me the deepest understanding for my future career in aviation.”

For her final-year project, Nadia even investigated the disappearance of Flight MH370, developing a gliding flight model code to simulate the aircraft’s trajectory after running out of fuel, a project that merged technical expertise with personal purpose.

While understanding how planes were able to stay in the air was fascinating, Nadia also wanted to be the one flying them.

After graduating in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic upset the aviation industry globally, Nadia continued with her career plans. She secured a place at FTE Jerez, a prestigious flight training academy in southern Spain, enrolling in its integrated ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence) programme.

Over 18 months of intensive training, she gained both theoretical knowledge and hands-on flight experience, emerging as a fully qualified pilot

Over 18 months of intensive training, she gained both theoretical knowledge and hands-on flight experience, emerging as a fully qualified pilot. Yet, just as she was preparing to begin her career, another challenge arose.

With Brexit’s new regulations taking effect, Nadia discovered that her European-issued pilot licence was no longer valid for UK-based airlines. The setback meant she had to re-sit all her ground school exams to obtain a UK licence, a major hurdle after years of training.

Undeterred, Nadia decided to stay close to the aviation world while re-qualifying.

After moving back to the UK Nadia joined Flybe as an Operations Officer, managing flight schedules and day-to-day airline logistics, an invaluable opportunity to see how an airline functions behind the scenes. Unfortunately, just four months later, Flybe entered administration.

Refusing to give up, Nadia quickly secured another operations role at Virgin Atlantic, gaining even more insight into airline management. Throughout this period, she continued to study and re-sit her exams, eventually earning her UK licence and reigniting her dream of flying professionally.

In 2023, Nadia’s persistence paid off as she was offered a position with EasyJet

In 2023, Nadia’s persistence paid off as she was offered a position with EasyJet. Over the months that followed she logged flight hours, honed her skills, and embraced the responsibilities of commercial flying. When she surpassed 1,250 hours, she officially became a First Officer, a huge milestone which marked years of hard work and dedication.

  Nadia Ismail, First Officer with EasyJet

“I love the variety of my job, and no two days are the same,” Nadia says. “Each flight brings new challenges, and the views are better than any office. I enjoy meeting different people every day, from crew to passengers, and creating contingency plans for factors like weather keeps the job dynamic and rewarding.”

While Nadia remains devoted to her flying career, her long-term ambition is to move into aviation safety, ideally within EasyJet.

“I’ll never want to give up flying,” she says, “but I’m really interested in mitigating errors and working on risk minimisation. I’m passionate about improving safety and ensuring that if accidents happen, they don’t happen again. At the same time, I’m also working toward becoming a Captain and taking on greater responsibility in the cockpit.”

Beyond her own achievements, Nadia is committed to inspiring more women to enter aviation and STEM fields

Beyond her own achievements, Nadia is committed to inspiring more women to enter aviation and STEM fields. “It’s important to advocate for women in aviation and in STEM generally,” she says. “I want people to see that this is a career women can and do thrive in.”

Throughout Nadia’s aviation journey she has proved that being resilient is a vital skill, pushing through each setback faced with determination.

From her teenage fascination with MH370 to her current role as a First Officer at EasyJet, Nadia’s journey has always been guided by her interest in aviation safety.

While we may see her investigating at an air crash scene in the future, she remains passionate about flying and won’t be giving up her seat in the cockpit any time soon!

by Liverpool Women in Science and Engineering