By Arpana Adhikari
Kathmandu, Sept. 6: The first Nepali registered female Aeronautical Engineer, Suneera Regmi, broke all kinds of gender barriers to pursue her dream in the aviation industry, which is predominantly a male turf.
She is the first among 18 (3.56%) females in Nepal to pursue their career in this field. She got her license from Nepal Engineer Council in 2008 and has been working as the Senior Flight Operation Engineer with Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) for the last 12 years.

Suneera had deep passion in airplanes since her childhood. Actually, she wanted to fly those metal craft. To follow her dreams, she applied for a pilot course abroad. She got selected for the course but later she dropped the plan, as her family could not afford the cost.
But she recalls how her father inspired her to study aeronautics and convinced her that aeronautical engineering is also related to aircraft, the object of her childhood passion.
In 2004, she joined a Bachelor of Technology in Aeronautical Engineering in Dehradun-based college in India.

She recalled how she used to be the only female in male-dominated field. She was the only girl in her batch, while pursuing both Bachelors and Masters.
“As a female who aspired to work in the male-dominated field, it is often not a surprise to walk into a classroom and workplace that comprise only men and you will be the only woman in their midst,” she shared.
“As you are seen to be someone who is in a space that belongs to the men, you find yourself working extra hard to beat these stereotypical environment,” she added.

After completing her Bachelors in India, she returned to Nepal, and she worked as a volunteer in NAC for a year without any pay.
Since aeronautical engineering was new for the country, there was no one to guide her. The only scope for an aeronautical engineer was to work as an aircraft maintenance engineer. “I was jobless. There were no vacancies for the type of job and at that time I felt nothing more could be done in the field,” she said.

She recalls, “After a year, NAC announced a vacancy. There were about 25 applicants for two positions. And I was the only woman competing for the post. I was selected.”
Coincidentally, she received the news of her selection for the position on her wedding day, she said with a smile.
Later, she completed her Post-graduate in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), with specialisation in aerodynamics.
Recently, she has been designated as the Chief of Flight Operation Document Control Unit of the NAC, where she is leading a team of five aeronautical engineers, including one female, who was recently recruited. It took more than a decade for any other female to join the list at NAC.

Regmi is currently responsible for evaluating aircraft performance, documenting control systems, calculating aircraft weight and balance and studying the aircraft’s features regarding the aerodynamic performance for safe operation.
Regmi says that the aviation industry is a sector that involves complex systems and working in the field is challenging. “It takes coordination and teamwork to help the industry perform better.”
Despite working as the only woman aeronautical engineering in a hangar full of males in NAC for over a decade, Regmi has not faced discrimination in her workplace. Instead, she is always inspired by many expressions of admiration and encouragement.

She has focused her attention on what she could do and proved herself good in her performance. And this positive attitude is the reason why she never had to experience being discriminated at the workplace.
Stating that aeronautical engineering has diverse features, Regmi said the potential of aerospace engineering had not been explored in Nepal yet.
She believes that to expand the potential of aerospace engineering, research and development should be done, which will inspire the new generation to be a part of the field.
Nepal can also apply the theory of aerodynamics in the design of vehicles, sports cars, sports bikes and marine research related to water transport and ships, among others, she said. This discipline has a vast scope and sky is not the limit, she added.

Regmi can be a role model for young girls to follow their dream, in the aviation industry or any other file of their passion.
For her, no challenge is too big and women can do any job as men do, they only need an opportunity and determination.