Cuttack Sonalika Mishra, hailing from Narasinghpur in Cuttack district, has earned her Commercial Pilot License (CPL) after completing 200 hours of flying and successfully passing all examinations conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This is a matter of immense pride and a remarkable achievement. In this region of Odisha, very few women have come forward to pursue aviation as a career. While some boys have become pilots, only a handful of girls have realized their dream of obtaining a CPL. Sonalika stands among those distinguished few.
She is the daughter of Shri Nirmalendu Mishra, President of the Narasinghpur Bar Association and a distinguished lawyer, and Smt. Debjani Mishra, a homemaker. Sonalika is also the granddaughter of the late Advocate Bhagirathi Mishra and renowned educationist Binodini Mishra, who played a crucial role in shaping her aviation aspirations. Sonalika remains forever grateful to them for their guidance and support.
She has expressed deep respect and gratitude towards her parents for supporting her decision to choose this challenging career path. She acknowledges both the emotional and financial support provided by them, which was essential given the high cost associated with aviation training.
Sonalika began her educational journey at the Government Girls’ High School in Narasinghpur, where her grandmother had once served as the headmistress. After completing her 10th grade, she pursued science at KIIT University for her +2 studies. Later, she studied Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at Utkal Aerospace Engineering College in Bhubaneswar and completed a six-month on-the-job training program at Air India in Kolkata.
She then decided to pursue her dream of flying by passing all necessary examinations required for the CPL. She successfully completed her flight training at Redbird Flying Training Academy.
With a CPL in hand, Sonalika is now eligible to fly commercial aircraft for airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines. The next step in her journey will be to secure a job as a trainee pilot with an airline, become a First Officer (Co-Pilot), and then undergo type rating to fly a specific aircraft.
As various airlines are expanding their fleets and working to improve air connectivity, the demand for commercial pilots is increasing steadily. We extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Sonalika for her future journey. She is undoubtedly the pride of Narasinghpur and Odisha.