From parents to sons: The Singh family’s journey with Fiji Airways

For 75 years, Fiji Airways has been part of the lives of generations of Fijians. For the Singh family, that connection has become deeply personal.

What began with Satpreet and Sharmila Singh building separate careers in aviation has grown into a family journey spanning two generations.

Today, their sons Prashant and Satvikrant have followed them into the industry, with the four family members together representing close to 90 years of aviation careers across Fiji Air, Air Pacific and Fiji Airways.

Their story is one of hard work, sacrifice, family support and a shared love of the skies.

Sharmila’s journey with the airline

For Sharmila, the journey began while she was working at an accounting firm, where seeing cabin crew members come and go sparked her interest in aviation.

She had hoped to become a teacher, but those encounters made her curious about a career with the airline.

In February 1992, she put on the Air Pacific uniform for the first time as cabin crew. Today, she is a Purser.

“Wearing the uniform for the first time made me feel proud, nervous, excited. You walk taller, feel a sudden rush of responsibility, and realise that your dreams are finally real,” Sharmila said.

As Sharmila and her husband built their careers, their growing family became accustomed to the rhythm of airline life — rosters, early starts, travel and time apart.

Years later, their two sons would find their own paths into aviation.

For Sharmila, seeing them eventually step into the same industry became one of the most meaningful moments of her career.

“Seeing my sons in uniform was one of the proudest moments of my life. It is more than seeing them dressed as pilots, it is seeing their dreams, hard work, and dedication come to life,” she said.

A boy who always looked to the sky

For Satpreet, the dream of flying began during his childhood in Wailailai, Ba.

“Any time an aircraft flies up in the sky, my head would automatically turn up to the skies. There was just that fascination. “What is it? How does it look?” Captain Satpreet Singh recalled.

His parents were teachers at Khalsa College, where the family lived in the teachers’ quarters among the sugarcane fields.

His parents had migrated from Punjab, India, to Fiji in the late 1950s and became an important part of the development of the Khalsa College community.

His childhood fascination with aircraft eventually became a dream.

His first flight was during a holiday with his mother. It would be years before he boarded another aircraft — this time as a student pilot.

When he told his family he wanted to fly, money was tight, but they found ways to support his dream.

His father contributed whatever savings he could, while his mother surrendered her life insurance policy and took out a loan.

His sister also took out a loan to help pay for flying school, while his brother provided accommodation and logistical support in Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand.

Satpreet also worked while studying, cleaning and refuelling aircraft at the flying school, as well as cleaning offices and lavatories. He also worked at a kitchen and bathroom showroom to support himself.

Every job took him another step towards the cockpit.

“Whatever the odds are, you go for your dreams. You have to take that first step and go towards it. Your dream is not going to come to you, you have to go to it,” he said.

He joined Fiji Air in 1991, flying the DHC6 Twin Otter, BN2A Islander, Harbin Y-12 and Embraer EMB110 from Nausori.

In 1999, he joined Air Pacific as a Boeing 737 First Officer and became a Captain in 2007.

Now 35 years into his commercial flying career, Captain Singh has logged more than 23,000 flying hours, mostly in jets, and remains driven by the passion that first made him look towards the sky as a child.

“It’s the passion of flying, it’s the passion for Fiji Airways, it’s a passion for Fiji,” he said.

Finding their own wings

Despite growing up surrounded by aviation, neither Prashant nor Satvikrant was pressured to follow their parents.

“We grew up surrounded by aviation because of our parents and their colleagues, so there was always a curiosity and a natural pull towards it,” Prashant said.

His mother encouraged him to find his own path.

“She simply told me to follow my heart and to do what made me happy. She never pressured me to follow the same path as her and dad. She just wanted me to be happy and successful in whatever I chose,” Prashant said.

After completing his flying studies, Prashant joined Fiji Airways in 2015 as a Second Officer at the age of 19. He is now a First Officer.

Satvikrant followed in 2018, joining Fiji Airways at the age of 20. He is also now a First Officer.

For Prashant, stepping into the flight deck brought his childhood full circle.

“I remember the first time I took off and landed a Boeing 737. I was flying an aircraft that I had travelled on as a passenger with my parents. As a child, I used to visit my dad in the cockpit and ask him about all the switches and buttons. Before I knew it, I was flying the very same aircraft that I had once watched my dad fly,” he said.

“It honestly felt like a dream, except this time the dream had become real.”

Family at home, colleagues in the sky

At home, they are husband and wife, parents and sons. At work, they are Captain, Purser and First Officers.

For Prashant, that transition can happen on the journey to work.

“I see him as a father when we dress up at home and catch the same taxi to work, but when we enter the cockpit, I can see we switch personalities all of a sudden. He’s a Captain,” he said.

Sharmila takes the same approach.

“When we go to work, we are very professional. When I fly with my family, he is not a husband to me, my kids are not my children at that time,” she said.

For Captain Singh, flying alongside his sons is a feeling difficult to put into words.

Captain Satpreet with his sons Prashant and Satvikrant.

“Literally, in the aircraft as a pilot at 40,000 feet and as a father, I am on top of the world,” he said.

The family has flown together in different combinations over the years, including flights with Captain Singh in the flight deck, Sharmila working in the cabin and one of their sons among the operating crew.

But one family milestone remains.

All four have yet to operate the same flight together.

For Satvikrant, that moment would bring together years of hard work, sacrifice and family support.

“It would be one of the proudest days, where you realise all your hard work, your dedication, including your mum and dad’s sacrifices and your brother’s sacrifice, all kind of meets together. It would mean the world to us,” Satvikrant said.

Staying grounded

Away from work, fishing has become one of the family’s favourite ways to spend time together and step away from the demands of aviation.

“These are the little moments that remind me that before my boys are pilots, and my husband is a pilot, we are a family,” Sharmila said.

For Captain Singh, staying grounded is also a lesson passed down by his father.

“Though you fly in the air, keep one foot on the ground. You never let your head and attitude fly,” he recalled.

That same lesson continues with his sons.

Satvikrant said discipline was one of the most important values he learned from his parents.

“Motivation will come and go, but discipline will make sure that you stay and do your objective. If you build your discipline properly, you’ll still achieve your goals,” he said.

Prashant carries the same principle into his career.

“As a pilot, I would say stay grounded. We may fly thousands of feet, but we must always remember to keep one foot on the ground. Study and work hard, stay disciplined, respect your colleagues and, most importantly, hold safety of aircraft, passengers and colleagues in the highest regard,” he said.

A family connected to 75 years of Fiji Airways

Together, the four Singhs represent close to 90 years of aviation careers across Fiji Air, Air Pacific and Fiji Airways.

Their careers have spanned major changes in the airline’s history, from the Air Pacific era to the return of the Fiji Airways name in 2013 and the arrival of today’s modern fleet.

For Sharmila, that evolution has been personal.

“It was sad to see Air Pacific and its livery go, but it was exciting to welcome the original name, Fiji Airways. It depicted where the airline came from. It was a proud moment for all of us,” she said.

“For me, 75 years of history makes me feel proud and connected to the airline. From where it began to now becoming a world class airline, Fiji Airways has continued to represent the spirit, culture and hospitality of Fiji,” Sharmila said.

“It feels like a symbol of home, bringing people together and sharing the warmth and beauty that Fiji has to offer with the world.”

For Captain Singh, the pride comes from being part of an airline that has connected generations and carried Fiji’s flag around the world.

“Connecting people from different countries and different nationalities, for an airline which has operated for 75 years, it is something I am very passionate and proud about. It speaks volumes about the strength of our leadership and safety culture, and I’ll keep carrying its flag until I retire,” he said.

For the next generation of the Singh family, the journey continues.

“Growing up, we never thought of this ever happening. Nonetheless, we wouldn’t have it any other way now. Everyone at home enjoys what they do at work, and we all understand each other’s responsibilities and duties,” Prashant said.

From parents who built their careers through sacrifice to sons who now sit in the flight deck, the Singh family’s story has become intertwined with Fiji Airways.

And while their careers together already span close to 90 years, one dream remains — the day all four Singhs take to the skies together as operating crew.