Girls in Aviation Day engages St. Barths students

Women in Aviation International’s Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD) made a vibrant return to the Caribbean on June 13th, hosted in St. Barths as part of the closing activities for CARIBAVIA 2025.

Students from Collège Mireille Choisy engaged in a half-day, hands-on exploration of aviation.

The day started with presentations from female pilots, air traffic controllers, management, fire department, security and more from the three airports; Princess Juliana International Airport in St.Maarten, L’Esperance Airport in St. Martin, and Remy de Haenen Airport in St Barths.

A series of 11 engaging stations ranging from drone handling and glider testing to air traffic control simulations and aviation-themed creative projects allowed the participants to gain exposure to the many professional paths available in aviation. They also toured a Cessna Grand Caravan operated by St Barth Commuter and observed live aircraft movements on one of the region’s most challenging and visually striking runways.

GIAD was co-organised between Women in Aviation International’s Kelly Murphy; new WAI Carib Skies Chapter President Ludmila de Weever, St. Maarten Member of Parliament and Carib Skies’ Chapter member Melissa Lake, Territorial Councillor, S Barth’s | Photo: Forward Focus.

This GIAD event marked the official launch of the WAI Carib Skies Chapter, co-hosted by Ludmila de Weever, Melissa Lake, and Sabrina Charville. It was inspired by the successful 2022 Girls in Aviation Day held at Grand Case Airport in St. Martin, where teams from Princess Juliana International Airport’s air traffic control unit and L’Espérance Airport’s Edeis team came together to support the initiative. That event laid the groundwork for a lasting Caribbean presence within Women in Aviation International.

With this new chapter now firmly established, its leaders are committed to bringing GIAD to more girls in St. Maarten, St Martin, St. Barths, and the rest of the Caribbean Region, opening the doors of aviation to girls across the region and planting the seeds for future careers in the skies.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 7th August 2025 | Issue #807