Q1. Could you give us a glimpse of yourself?

Hi, I am Zohra Mahzabeen Mondira. I am a Pilot. I started my career with Regent Airways back to 2015. Presently, I am flying Boeing 737 aircraft.

I did my SSC from Mirpur Girls’ Ideal Laboratory Institute and A levels in private. I have completed my flying course from Arirang Flying School. From Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) I have completed BBA in Finance. I think that there is no end to learning and I wanted to pursue BBA to learn more and possibly keep my doors open in different fields also.

Q2. Could you tell us about your career? What inspired you to choose this profession?

Basically, when I was very young, I used to be awestruck by the beautiful phenomenon of birds or airplanes flying across the sky. I think that curiosity has led me to start a journey to discover the beautiful enigmas that this profession might have. Besides this, I have been quite involved in cultural activities in my childhood. I used to tag along with my grandmother for my dance classes. When I used to commute to my classes, I was very fascinated by the airplane in Bijoy Shoroni, and once even told my grandmother, “That plane is mine!”, haha! Gradually, as I grew up, I thought I wanted to pursue a career in a different arena, but, in 2001, my beloved grandmother passed away, and I realized that I wanted to fulfill my grandmother’s last wish.

She had conveyed to my father how she wanted me to become a pilot someday, and I saw the hopes and dreams in my father’s eyes of seeing his child as one. And, being the only daughter in my family, I understood that this was it, and I started my journey.

Q3. How does it feel to be an example of “The Sky is the Limit”? What advice do you have for people willing to pursue this journey of being an empowered pilot?

We have been gifted the privilege, by the Almighty, to dream. However, I think a lot of us lack the confidence to take the steps to make our dreams come true. There will be times when we might need to face conflicts among ourselves regarding our self-reliance. Nevertheless, overcoming them to reach the goal should be the objective. We love ourselves, but in this profession, we need to love others a little more than ourselves as the responsibility of carrying precious lives comes first.

For the new ones who are willing to pursue the same career as me, I would say that besides academic qualifications, all you need is self-confidence. But, to set a foot on this journey, one would need to be with a science background. In our country, we have three flying schools- Arirang Flying school, Bangladesh Flying Academy, and Galaxy Flying School.

Last few words I want to include: Keep faith on Allah, dream big and run after your dreams with a strong desire to achieve it, all your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.  

Q4. What inspired you to become a pilot? What keeps you motivated to continue this journey?

My parents dream to see me as a Pilot that inspired me the most to become a pilot. Other than this, from my childhood I always wanted to do something which will be challenging and also unique. My 1st experience of flying made me realize that this is my place and from then a strong desire started growing in my heart that yes I will always fly in this big sky like a free bird. 

My parents love & support and my dream keeps me motivated to continue this journey.

Q5. Could you share your first experience of flying a plane?

During my training, it used to be just me and my instructor. But, in my first commercial flight, I realized that I was carrying a number of lives with me, who were my responsibility for the time being. I made up my mind that I will not welcome any thought, worry, or doubt to affect my sense of responsibility when I am in my uniform. They have trusted me and I believe that it is my duty to honour and live by the trust.

Q6. What does a typical day for a pilot look like?

Well, it is quite different than that of other professionals. Every flight is different and every situation that we face is unique. Every day is typical specially for us as we get very less time to take any decision so we have to keep us calm and take the decision wisely and logically. 

Each passing day we need to adapt and adjust in different situation, weather and surroundings. Everyday the sky shows us a different face sometimes it’s sunny, sometimes it covers with dark clouds with lightning or floating clouds or may be sometimes it started raining. So dealing with all these scenario is different and sometimes it’s become little difficult to operate the flight smoothly but as we trained to handle every difficult situation so in every situation we try to give our best for the passengers comfort and safety as they are our 1st priority. 

Also, I think the workplace environment and cultural play a huge role in your success and recognition. We all know in Bangladesh still most of the people differentiate between men and women. But in this profession, our recognition is only Pilot not women pilot. 

In Regent Airways, I must say that my co-workers were extremely, supportive, loving and caring which constantly pushed me to do better. They would go beyond limits to make one other happy, like celebrating Eid day or birthdays inside the cockpit. Small gestures like these really warm my heart.

Q7. What do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?

Besides flying, I love travelling. Whenever I get some time for myself, I try exploring new places. Also, many might not know this but I am into acting too.

During childhood, I used to act in bangla dramas, and I have been awarded a gold medal for recitation and acting in a cultural program. So, I always had a soft corner for the cultural side and have been quite active too.

In my leisure time, I try anchoring or some sort of extracurricular activities to feed my soul. On another note, I love pets. I have 4 pet cats, and I just love spending time with them!

Without these I like to spent my leisure with my cats. 

I will be eternally grateful to Allah and my parents, my instructors and my friends for their unconditional love and support to achieve my goal.