​Women at Airbus: Iesha’s story

By Iesha Mossman, Aircraft Fitter

In what is traditionally viewed as a male-dominated industry, Iesha, one of the women working at Airbus, shares her journey in engineering and how her Aircraft Fitter role fills her with pride.

Before joining Airbus, I worked jobs in housekeeping and bingo calling
I first joined Airbus back in 2013 for 13 months working on their A320 product. I returned in 2015 to work on the A350 aircraft where I stayed for the next five years, right up until the pandemic hit. However, I was one of the first to receive a call to return and went back in January 2022 without any hesitation.

I was thrilled as this is the only job I’ve actually enjoyed!

I’ve always been interested in engineering
My sister always knew I was interested in engineering and suggested I apply for a job at Airbus since she works there too. In addition, I had completed a plumbing course at college so I knew I enjoyed problem solving and working with my hands – which lines up perfectly with this role.

Juggling work and life priorities
As I have two young children (a two-year-old and a nine-month-old), I work alternate morning (6am to 1pm) and afternoon (1pm-8:30pm) shifts which fit in well with my schedule as that means I get to spend either the morning or afternoons with them!

Day-to-day at Airbus
At every start of a shift, I'm given a package to complete. It could be anything from painting nuts and bolts, cleaning parts, drilling holes to sealing the insides of wings to prevent fuel leakage. To carry out my daily tasks I have been fully trained by a certified fitter and have gained all the necessary qualifications to do so.

This may take a number of weeks to complete, however, safety is of utmost priority and getting the qualifications are an important part of the job. This ensures me and every other Aircraft Fitter at Airbus are experienced to do our job and complete it to the high standards expected.

I work as part of a team and as everyone is really friendly and enjoyable to be around, it feels like we are family at Airbus.

Learn more about being an Aircraft Fitter here >

People outside of Airbus are fascinated by the build process
Particularly, I get asked many questions about the Airbus Beluga because I worked on the wings for the new BelugaXL aircraft. The same carrier also transports all the wings made here in Broughton to the final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg.

As I live locally to the plant, my family and friends often see the Beluga aircraft flying over, which makes me immensely proud to watch the wings I worked on flying right over our heads.

Work with your hands and be a keen learner
To excel and enjoy the work in this role, it helps being hands on, having some basic knowledge of using tools (such as spanners, sockets, hammers and the like) and upholding high quality standards. However, as long as you have a good attitude and are keen to learn, the training and support Airbus provides will be all the tools you need to become fully competent.

I'm extremely proud to play my part in wing manufacturing at Broughton as part of a multinational company that works together to make aircrafts with different teams across the globe. The hands-on nature of this role is something I enjoy on top of the friendly team and family spirit my colleagues display on a daily basis.

To all women interested in engineering: don’t let any preconceived perceptions stop you – just go for it!
In all my years working at Airbus and within what is considered a male-dominated industry, I have never felt any discrimination towards me and always felt I could do my job as well as any of my other colleagues. The diverse workforce is reflective of Airbus' positive year-on-year performance and it’s great to see Airbus further their commitment to encouraging a more inclusive environment.

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Feeling inspired by Iesha’s story? Join Airbus as an Aircraft Fitter and apply for the position today >