Aarohi Pandit and Keithair Misquitta

The first civilian women pilots to circumnavigate the globe

About

August 2018, marked the beginning of a new dream for Mumbai girls Aarohi Pandit and Keithair Misquitta who were embarking on a first-of-its-kind expedition to circumnavigate the earth in a light sports aircraft called ‘Mahi’.

Captains Aarohi Pandit (22) and Keithair Misquitta (22) flew to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Slovenia, Serbia, Germany, France, and the UK, then over the Atlantic to Greenland and Iceland with their 'leading lady,‘Mahi’, the aircraft. They flew to 17 countries with 27 stops over a span of 51 days.

Aarohi was born in Gujarat and her father ran a travel company. She had strong ambitions to fly ever since she met a woman pilot at an airport at the age of eight. While Capt. Keithair initially wanted to be a cardiologist, but her father encouraged her to be a pilot.

After they graduated from BFC and got their Commercial Pilot License in 2018, a combination of good timing and good fortune immediately came their way.

Selected for the expedition by a private firm Social Access Communications, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Aarohi and Keithair navigated many challenging terrains like Iran, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Iceland and Greenland.

For the two young pilots, this journey unfolded as a heady adventure involving unpronounceable airports, unexpected delays and miles of sea and silence.

Awards and Accomplishments

Not only are they the first Indian women to go on such an adventure, they are also the only women who hold a licence to charter LSA flights in India. They became the first Indian women to achieve this feat, when they flew the aircraft for 12,900 km in 27 hops, covering over 17 countries.

Aarohi also became the first Indian woman pilot to have flown solo over the Atlantic Ocean in the light sport aircraft in October 2018.

Why Aarohi Pandit and Keithair Misquitta ?

Aarohi and Keithair are popularly known as advocates for women empowerment and encouraging young girls to take the leap of faith to improve their lives, and to spread out their wings and fly. They not only offer their own incredible story, but an insight into how to achieve profound resilience, courage and motivation, all qualities audiences can achieve themselves.

Book Aarohi Pandit and Keithair Misquitta as a speaker at your upcoming event.