Mother and daughter make history as first Aer Lingus pilots to fly together

Captain Sonya Bissett and First Officer Lara Danaher made history as the first mother and daughter to pilot a commercial flight together for Aer Lingus. The pair operated flight EI 650 from Dublin to Frankfurt, a proud moment for the family and the airline.

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I remember when Lara was about four years of age, she always knew two pilots 'flew the plane'. When I was putting on my uniform for work one day she said, 'I know what mum, when I grow up, I’ll be a pilot, that way I can come to work with you and we can fly the plane together'.

Bissett, a seasoned pilot with over 27 years at Aer Lingus, recalled her daughter's childhood dream of flying with her. "I remember when Lara was about four years of age, she always knew two pilots 'flew the plane'," Bissett said. "When I was putting on my uniform for work one day she said, 'I know what mum, when I grow up, I’ll be a pilot, that way I can come to work with you and we can fly the plane together'."

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I guess from that day on it was in the back of my mind, that she might consider it as a career and maybe one day we would have the opportunity to fly together. It became more of a reality when I saw her passion grow as she got older.

Danaher's journey into aviation began with a childhood aspiration, nurtured by her parents' presence in the industry. She entered the competitive 14-month Future Pilot Programme, a collaboration between Aer Lingus and a flight training school. "Getting into the Future Pilot Programme wasn’t easy. It had been a dream of mine since secondary school," Danaher shared. She pursued Aviation Management at DCU, worked as a Flight Dispatcher, and saved diligently for flying lessons.

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Once she made up her mind to pursue this as a career, I knew her determination and hard work would see her succeed.

Despite not succeeding on her first attempt for the program, Danaher's determination fueled her to reapply. "Although it was disappointing, it motivated me to keep going and apply again," she stated. Her perseverance paid off, leading to the historic flight with her mother. "Flight training has been one of the most challenging, but also one of the most rewarding experiences," Danaher reflected, highlighting milestones like her first solo flight.

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Getting into the Future Pilot Programme wasn’t easy. It had been a dream of mine since secondary school when I first learned about the programme through pilot career events.