KOTA KINABALU: After spending part of her teenage years helping her mother at a sundry shop after school, Suriati Sukardi kept alive her dream of achieving something more.
Today, the 36-year-old is living that dream as an AirAsia pilot, flying Airbus A320 and A321 commercial aircraft.
Before becoming a pilot, Suriati worked as a stewardess with the airline for eight years from 2017, while looking for opportunities to advance her career.
In 2019, she was offered the opportunity to undergo aviation training and completed her course to become a pilot in 2022.
“However, I faced a brief challenge thereafter because I had difficulty landing a job as a pilot, so I had to go back to being a stewardess while continuing my search,” she said.
Two years later, a pilot position opened and she was offered the opportunity to fly the Airbus A320 and A321.
Although she now navigates her career in a white pilot’s uniform, Suriati said she would always cherish her memories of wearing the airline’s red uniform and serving passengers thousands of feet above the ground.
“This is a reminder to myself and hopefully others that dreams can become a reality with determination, a bit of luck and a lot of hard work,” she said.
