From village girl to airport manager: how Pampa Mahanta overcame social taboos and poverty to realize her dreams

Pampa Mahanta had to move a lot during her school years because her father had a transferable job, and learned to adapt quickly.

International Women’s Day: From a simple girl from a remote village in Assam to an airline manager at an international airport, considered a male-dominated profession, Pampa Mahanta’s journey included the struggle against scarcity of resources and rejection by family and society.

Now she manages safety and security, flight operations, passenger handling, administration, et al on behalf of her airline.

Born into a middle-class family in a village, she had to fight against all odds to achieve her dreams.

“No one, except my mother, wanted me to leave our remote village and go to work. In fact, I got no support from my family,” says Mahanta, now the airport manager of Akasa Air at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.

She did not even receive financial support from her father because he had a different view of women.

“My father wanted me to stay at home and later become a housewife. I have no problem sharing this truth,” Mahanta told PTI.

She faced several challenges such as limited resources and societal norms that prevented girls from pursuing higher education. But she never gave up.

Her mother stood by her side and taught her valuable lessons about perseverance and seizing every opportunity that came her way.

Mahanta had to move a lot during her school years as her father had a transferable job, and learned to adapt quickly.

The result was that she was able to work hard and at the same time combine a part-time job at a call center with her studies.

“There were times when I couldn’t sleep well because I had to go to college and work after classes,” she said.

Mahanta studied at an institute in Assam’s Guwahati and the journey there from her home in Kutalkusi village in Nalbari district was a nightmare. “I had to travel for hours to reach Guwahati,” she said.

When asked why she wanted to pursue a career in the aviation industry, Mahanta said: “I have always found this sector very interesting and every day is a new day here.”

According to her, the work she does is very demanding as she is responsible for the smooth operation of her airline’s flights from Kolkata airport.

From passengers to colleagues, she is in charge of everything every day. From providing the best services to passengers to addressing complaints from different quarters, she is responsible for everyone.

“The job of an airport manager is very challenging,” says Captain Sarvesh Gupta, former chairman of the Airport Operators’ Committee, Calcutta.

“Airport managers are local representatives of airlines. They ensure compliance with safety and security regulations, in addition to managing general flight operations, passenger handling and administration, coordinate with the local government and are also the point of contact during unforeseen events,” said Captain Gupta.

In most cases, men have been appointed to that position, but in recent years more and more women have been at the helm, he says.

“A lot has changed in my family since I started working. The best part is that my father is a changed man. His perception has changed and I am happy with it. I have four nieces and today they all look up to me,” said Mahanta.

She joined the aviation sector as an intern at a private airline in 2011. Her post was in Guwahati. From there she jumped from one airport to another (Colkata, Maldives, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Ahmedabad) and once again she was back in Kolkata, and this time as the airline’s airport manager.

Another woman airport manager in Kolkata, Anushila Chaturvedi of Emirates, told PTI that it has always been an equal opportunity city.

“In Calcutta, people pray to Goddess Durga and Kali and women are highly valued. Flight operations are a very dynamic issue and every day is a new challenge. All stakeholders at the airport have always cooperated with me and there has been no discrimination from anyone,” Chaturvedi said.

(Only the headline was reworked by India.com staff. The copy is from an agency feed)