Air India says it has set a world record by flying around the world with an all-female crew.
The plane flew over the Pacific Ocean from New Delhi to San Francisco last Monday, and then flew back to New Delhi over the Atlantic on Friday.
Apart from the all-female cockpit and cabin crew, the other staff involved in the flight — including the check-in and other ground staff and the air-traffic controllers — were all women.
The Boeing 777-200LR travelled around 15,300 kilometres during the journey.
Air India, the country’s state-owned carrier, has applied to Guinness World Records to be recognised for the feat.
The airline said the trip was "another feather to Air India’s cap in its constant endeavour to encourage women".
Captain Kshamata Bajpayee said: "The flight is a symbol of women empowerment and it will encourage women to step out of their comfort zone and succeed in male-dominated arenas too. The entire message is actually to encourage young girls who have dreams of getting into the skies and they feel it’s too technical or this is something only men do."
The flight was part of celebrations for International Women’s Day, which falls on Wednesday.
In January, Air India introduced women-only seats on its domestic flights to give female passengers "more choice and comfort".

Source: The National