"I always made sure that I (was) working twice as hard," she says, "because I knew this was paving the way for the future of women in aviation in India," says Agarwal
Captain Zoya Agarwal speaks during an interview with AFP, in Greater Noida.
Image: Money Sharma / AFP©
India has the world's highest rate of women pilots, but when Zoya Agarwal said she dreamed of conquering the skies, her mother cried and told her to wait for a "suitable boy" to marry instead.
Agarwal has enjoyed an illustrious career since gaining her wings in 2004, including her inauguration last year, with an all-woman crew, of the longest non-stop Indian commercial flight.