Meet India's youngest commercial pilot, who fulfilled her mother's dreams, took her first solo flight just after 28 hours of training, her name is..., her age is...

Samaira Hullur became India's youngest commercial pilot at the age of 18. Samaira, hails from Bijapur, Rajasthan. At an age where children enjoy lives and play outside, Samaira was determined about her future. When she was in class 9, she decided that she would not do a desk job. It was in class 10, when her journey really began. She took an orientation class from Captain Thapesh Kumar of Akasa Airlines to understand the field.  Sumaira made up her mind to become a pilot and started exploring the field, by class 11. 

She completed her 12th board exams and went to study in an aviation academy in Delhi. There she passed six papers, Air Regulation, Aviation Metrology, Air Navigation, Technical General, Technical Specific and Radio Telephony in her first attempt. However, she faced some challenges in her journey. She faced back to back rejections in the radio telephony as age was becoming a constraint. The minimum age was 18 years. Finally, she completed her ground training in seven months. 

In April 2024, Samaira enrolled herself in Carver Aviation in Pune. She was required to complete 200 hours of flight training to get her CPL (Commercial Pilot License). Her entire journey to become a pilot took around 18 months. 

Now it was time for her solo flight. But before that, her instructor explained everything to her while flying the plane and Sumaira was sitting next to her in the cockpit. She asked her to observe closely  while sitting in the cockpit for the first time. Her instructors asked her to observe how to fly a plane. After 28 hours of rigorous training, the special moment in a pilot's training came. Samaira flew all alone and said that the plane felt so light as if it had no weight. However, Samaira revealed that initially, she had trouble landing, but taking her instructor's advice,  she now easily lands the plane with a small deep breath. 

Mother's dream of becoming a pilot 

The real motivation behind Samaira's success was her mother. Her mother suggested Samaira to go in Aviation and earn respect. Samaira’s mother, Nazeeya Hullur, i a coordinator at Delhi Public School, Bijapur. When Samaira was in class 5th, she took a helicopter ride during Navaraspur Utsav in Bijapur, with her mother, who was impressed by the pilot uniform. Samaira said, “My mother was sitting in the cockpit and was fascinated with the experience, especially the uniform.”

After Samaira got her CPL, she was honored with three stripes in the academy. This made her mother and grandmother emotional. “When the instructors at the academy told me that Samaira would be the youngest to finish both ground and flying training in India and get the license at 18, I simply couldn’t believe it,” said Samaira's mother. Samaira was also invited as a chief guest in her school.

No barrier prevented Samaira from achieving her and her mother's dream. Financially, this career option was very expensive, however with property loans and early savings, she managed to get the CPL.