From Chandigarh to Narita: How Simren Ghumman Rebuilt Her Flying Career in Japan

A New Home After a Career Upheaval

Simren Ghumman had planned to buy a house, qualify to fly the large A330 aircraft and take passengers to Paris and London. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic swept those ambitions aside and eventually brought the Indian pilot to Narita, Japan, in March 2023.

At 53, Ghumman now flies for Jetstar Japan Co., working primarily from Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. Her flying takes her across 18 domestic routes and five international routes, including services to Taipei and Manila. A career that began with a childhood ambition in Chandigarh has found a new direction nearly 10,000 kilometers from where it started.

The cockpit remains a second home for her. From 35,000 feet, she has a view few people experience as part of their working day, but the job demands sustained attention. She constantly monitors instruments and weather while balancing safety, fuel economy, punctuality and passenger comfort.

Ghumman finds encouragement in the comments passengers pass to her through the cabin crew. Simple responses such as "It was a good flight" and "The landing was great" reward the concentration behind each journey. Flying involves continuous tension, yet those small moments help sustain her enthusiasm.

Japan was neither her intended destination nor a country she knew well before moving. The pandemic brought personal disappointment amid a worldwide aviation crisis, but an opportunity at Jetstar Japan allowed her to continue doing the work she had wanted since childhood. Her experience also places a human face on an industry in which travel restrictions, recruitment decisions, technical problems and rising costs can quickly redirect a career.

A Childhood Shaped by Air Force Life

Chandigarh, in northern India, was Ghumman's birthplace. Her father, Jagjit, was an Air Force fighter pilot, and her mother was a teacher. Aviation was part of family life long before she entered a cockpit professionally.

Jagjit's transfers between bases meant the family moved frequently. Each place brought different etiquette, discipline, weather and cultural habits. Ghumman learned to meet local people and enjoy unfamiliar surroundings, an experience that later helped her approach the move to Japan.

Her first ambition was to follow her father into fighter aviation. At the time, however, the Indian Air Force, one of the world's largest, did not recruit women. She turned toward civilian flying, where she could pursue a career as a pilot.

After graduating from a university's commerce department, Ghumman spent two years studying intensively at a training institute. She obtained her pilot's license in 1994. When the results were announced, her father hugged her at the venue.

Jagjit, the Air Force fighter pilot whose career had inspired his daughter, expressed his pride in a few words:

Well done, daughter,

Ghumman still remembers that moment. The license opened the way to decades of work across several countries, while the adaptability learned during her childhood would become useful again when her carefully planned future changed.

The Plans the Pandemic Interrupted

Airlines in India and Sri Lanka gave Ghumman the experience on which she built her career. As her skills developed, she began planning a house purchase and further qualifications to fly the A330, a large aircraft she hoped to operate on routes to Paris and London.

Those goals fitted her career progression and the growth of aviation in her home region. Experienced pilots were in demand, and her next professional steps appeared achievable. Then, in early 2020, the pandemic changed the conditions on which those plans depended.

Borders closed, governments restricted travel and passenger demand fell sharply. Airlines faced financial collapse, grounded thousands of aircraft and cut tens of thousands of jobs worldwide. Passenger numbers dropped to levels not seen in decades, creating one of aviation's most severe crises.

Ghumman, whose plans for a home, an aircraft qualification and European routes were disrupted, described the personal cost:

All the plans I had in mind ended up being just dreams.

She nevertheless never considered abandoning flying. Aviation remained her calling even when the next step became uncertain. The crisis also produced an uneven employment picture: many pilots lost positions, while some regions and airlines recruited experienced aviators to prepare for an eventual recovery.

Japan became one of those opportunities. Ghumman decided to try an unfamiliar country, and Jetstar Japan recognized the skills and diligence she had developed through her years in aviation.

How Her Career Reached Japan

Ghumman's move followed several distinct stages, from qualifying in India to rebuilding her working life after the pandemic:

• 1994: She obtained her pilot's license after two years of intensive study following her commerce degree.
• Before early 2020: Work for airlines in India and Sri Lanka supported plans to buy a house, qualify for the A330 and fly to Paris and London.
• Early 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted aviation and brought those plans to a halt.
• March 2023: She moved to Narita to begin working for Jetstar Japan.
• June 2025: The Qantas Group announced the closure of the separate Singapore carrier Jetstar Asia amid rising costs and competition.
• Late 2025: An urgent Airbus A320 software repair programme disrupted flights across the industry, including Jetstar services in Australia.

Before COVID-19, Japan's main employers of expatriate pilots included Air Japan, Peach, Skymark, Jetstar Japan and Nippon Cargo Airlines. ANA and Japan Airlines generally did not hire expatriate pilots for their main operations, leaving opportunities concentrated among subsidiary carriers, airlines offering lower fares and cargo operators.

Jetstar Japan belongs to the wider Jetstar Group, which also includes Jetstar Airways and operates as one of the region's largest groups of airlines offering lower fares. Jetstar Japan itself is a joint venture between the Qantas Group, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation.

The Japanese carrier began domestic flights in July 2012 and international operations in February 2015. Since its launch, it has carried more than 50 million customers. Ghumman's new workplace therefore combined an established passenger operation with the personal challenge of starting again in a different country.

Learning the Everyday Rhythm of Japan

Narita became Ghumman's home in March 2023, when she arrived with little knowledge of Japanese customs or language. Moving meant learning a new working environment alongside the ordinary tasks of living in an unfamiliar place.

Clothing provided one of her first impressions of the contrast between India and Japan. She associated India with vibrant reds, yellows and blues, while the clothes she saw in Japan tended to be more subdued and understated.

Social habits also differed from the outgoing, sociable manner she associated with many Indians. Over time, she came to value the qualities she encountered in Japan.

Ghumman, describing the people she had come to know in her new country, said they were:

hardworking, meticulous, polite and kind.

She particularly appreciated their attention to how their actions affected other people, describing them as:

considerate enough to avoid causing trouble to those around them,

That concern about inconveniencing others is expressed through the Japanese idea of "meiwaku". For Ghumman, it became part of understanding the social expectations around her rather than simply learning new vocabulary.

Japan's trains made another strong impression. Their punctuality stood out compared with rail systems in many other countries. Reliable timetables and close attention to schedules were qualities she could readily appreciate in a profession where timing matters every day.

The Practical Demands of Working Abroad

Foreign pilots seeking work in Japan face a recruitment process that is generally slower than in other countries. Patience and careful documentation of flying hours and qualifications are part of the process, alongside meeting the airlines' professional requirements.

Japanese aviation medical standards are rigorous, although healthy pilots can generally pass the examinations. Authorities apply strict rules, particularly concerning certain medications and a person's mental health history.

English proficiency is high in aviation settings, but life outside the cockpit makes basic Japanese valuable. Ghumman arrived knowing only five words, including "thank you". Her vocabulary has since grown to more than 1,000 words, and she continues studying with the commitment she once brought to earning her pilot's license.

Expatriate pilots also need to account for deductions from their earnings. Residents can expect roughly 35 to 40 percent of their total salary to go toward taxes and contributions, including income tax, annuity contributions and national healthcare. Residents gain access to Japan's healthcare system, and departing residents may recover annuity contributions, capped at 36 months' worth.

Narita city is a common choice for pilots based at the airport. Commuting from central Tokyo takes more than an hour each way and can be expensive. Living in Narita offers a smaller city atmosphere, amenities for expatriates and options for families with children.

For Ghumman, adapting to these practical arrangements went alongside learning the language and developing a daily routine. The professional move became a gradual process of settling into a place she had initially known very little about.

A Park, Family Visits and a View From the Air

Naritasan Park has become Ghumman's favourite place to refresh herself away from work. Near Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, its peaceful walking paths offer a change from the activity around the airport.

Her husband visits from India, and the couple travel around Japan together. Their trips have taken them from Tokyo's busy streets to Kyoto's tranquil temples, leaving her smartphone filled with photographs of the country's varied landscapes.

The Choshi Peninsula holds a different kind of meaning. On return flights, the sight of the peninsula extending into the Pacific Ocean brings her joy because it tells her she is coming home. A feature of the coastline has become a personal marker of belonging.

Ghumman describes the unexpected outcome of the pandemic's disruption as a "wonderful surprise". Japan emerged from circumstances that had first destroyed her plans, yet it has become a place she values in its own right.

Her childhood moves had taught her to accept different surroundings. Her experience in Japan has carried that lesson into adulthood, through language study, walks in the park, travel with her husband and the familiar view that greets her from the cockpit.

Efficiency and Pressure at a Budget Airline

Jetstar Japan operates in an industry where airlines offering lower fares work with very narrow profit margins. Efficiency matters throughout the operation, from pilot schedules to the time an aircraft spends on the ground between flights.

For Ghumman, each flight still requires the same concentrated attention to instruments, weather and passenger safety. Fuel use, punctuality and comfort form part of the workload, while unexpected events can disrupt even carefully arranged schedules.

Late 2025 brought a major example of how a technical problem can spread across airlines. Airbus ordered immediate repairs to 6,000 aircraft in its A320 family, more than half the global fleet, after solar flares were found to be capable of corrupting data critical to flight controls.

The problem concerned the Elevator and Aileron Computer, which sends commands from a pilot's side stick to the elevators controlling the aircraft's pitch. Pitch describes whether the aircraft's nose points upward or downward. Urgent software repairs were required to address the risk.

About 90 Jetstar flights were cancelled in Australia alone, and thousands of customers were affected worldwide. Tyrone Simes, Jetstar's chief pilot, explained during the disruption that safety remained the priority despite the operational difficulties.

The cancellations show how a repair requirement can move quickly from an aircraft system into flight schedules, affecting crews and passengers. For pilots such as Ghumman, technical updates join weather disruptions and other changing conditions that demand composure and professional discipline.

A Separate Jetstar Carrier Faces Closure

The Qantas Group announced in June 2025 that it would close Jetstar Asia, its budget airline based in Singapore. Rising supplier costs, airport fees and regional competition were behind the decision. The carrier was projected to record an operating loss of A$35 million for the financial year.

About 500 employees were affected. The airline offered a severance package that included four weeks' salary for each year of service, a bonus for the current financial year and continued access to staff travel benefits. Jetstar also worked to help employees find other jobs across aviation.

Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Japan are separate carriers within the wider group. Their experiences illustrate the different pressures operating across the same industry: Ghumman found a new position in Japan after the pandemic, while employees in Singapore faced another major employment upheaval in 2025.

Aviation's repeated cycles of expansion, disruption and restructuring shape the lives of the people working in it. Ghumman's international experience and willingness to move helped her continue flying, but the closure in Singapore shows how quickly economic conditions can change an airline's plans.

New Uniforms Alongside Continuing Change

The Jetstar Group has continued investing in its operations despite the sector's difficulties. It recently introduced uniforms designed by Australian fashion designer Genevieve Smart, including a change in pilots' uniforms from traditional black to blue.

The designs feature modern elements and updated cuts. Stephanie Tully, Jetstar's chief executive, described their introduction as:

a new era for the airline, its people and its customers.

The uniform change sits alongside more demanding developments affecting the group, from financial pressures to urgent aircraft repairs. For its employees, daily work continues through both visible changes to the airline's identity and less visible adjustments to schedules, equipment and operations.

Ghumman's role remains centred on the cockpit. Decades of experience now meet the requirements of flying in Japan's airspace, with every takeoff and landing drawing on the training that began after her original ambition to become a fighter pilot.

Making Room for an Unexpected Life

Ghumman's journey from Chandigarh through airline work in India and Sri Lanka to Narita reflects the international nature of a flying career. Moving countries became a way to continue her profession when the future she had planned was no longer available.

The experience has changed how she approaches goals. Ghumman, reflecting on the disruption and the opportunity that followed, explained:

sometimes the unexpected happens in life, and things don't go as planned. At times like that, I've come to think that it's OK to just go with the flow, rather than getting too hung up on goals and objectives.

She recognizes that Japan may not be her permanent home. Aviation careers often involve moving, and she may eventually live in another country. Her focus has shifted from concentrating entirely on the next qualification or destination to enjoying her current surroundings.

Ghumman, speaking about the time she now has in Japan, said:

That's why I want to enjoy the time I have, the present moment I'm in Japan,

Her working life still requires precision and planning. Outside those demands, she has found value in allowing her personal future more room to change. The park near her home, journeys with her husband and the coastline seen on returning flights have become part of a life she never expected to build.

What to Know

• Simren Ghumman, 53, is an Indian pilot working for Jetstar Japan, primarily from Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture.
• Her flying covers 18 domestic routes and five international routes, including Taipei and Manila.
• She earned her pilot's license in 1994 after two years of intensive study.
• Her father, Jagjit, was an Air Force fighter pilot; she pursued civilian aviation because the Indian Air Force did not recruit women at the time.
• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her plans to buy a house, qualify for the A330 and fly to Paris and London.
• She moved to Narita in March 2023 and has increased her Japanese vocabulary from five words to more than 1,000.
• Jetstar Japan is a joint venture between the Qantas Group, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation and has carried more than 50 million customers.
• Separate pressures across aviation included the announced closure of Jetstar Asia in June 2025 and urgent repairs to 6,000 Airbus A320 family aircraft late that year.
• Ghumman enjoys Naritasan Park, travel with her husband and the sight of the Choshi Peninsula when returning home.