Flight attendant goes from serving AirAsia passengers to flying its Airbus A320 and A321 jets

Suriati Sukardi, 36, has moved from serving AirAsia passengers as a flight attendant to piloting the airline’s Airbus A320 and A321 jets. She joined AirAsia in 2017 and spent eight years in cabin duty while seeking a path to the cockpit. In 2019, she was offered flight training and completed her pilot course in 2022. Unable to secure a pilot role immediately, she returned to cabin work until a new opening came two years later. AirAsia’s cadet pilot programme, first launched in 2004, was paused for two years during the Covid-19 pandemic and restarted in March 2023.