Women In
Technical Aviation
at STS
Q&A with Nidhi Chandra
Nidhi Chandra
Technical Services Manager, Powerplant at STS
Role and Background
Can you tell us about your role at STS and your journey in aviation so far?
I hold a B1 licence on the Boeing 737 NG series, as well as an approved borescope inspector during my airline days. My aviation journey spans close to two decades, hard to believe it’s been that long.
I began my career as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer with Jet Airways, a highly regarded airline that, unfortunately, is no longer operational. From the outset I was placed in the powerplant section, where I gained thorough hands-on experience that gave me a very strong technical foundation. From there, I moved to SpiceJet and then into the aviation leasing sector, initially I stepped in as a BSI inspector, because engines are what I know inside out. Over time I moved fully into project management, and that is where I find myself now.
Currently I am working as Technical Services Manager in Powerplant at STS, and I’m based in Dubai. I report into our Singapore office, which is in serious scale-up mode right now to support our significant growth in the APAC region. Establishing this hub has been a major milestone for Shannon Technical Services, building on the success of our Shannon HQ and European base, the team is making a real impact in the sector regionally to build on the existing relationships and be strategically placed on the ground to quickly be able to react to provide our array of solutions. To give you an idea of the momentum over the past 12 months alone, we’ve supported 106+ projects, including 56+ engine projects, for 71+ different operators.
My role within all this focuses heavily on technical project management. I act as an extension of our clients’ technical teams, predominantly airlines and lessors, though we are seeing a growing demand from part traders as well when they need to ramp up. This involves managing transitions, engine re-deliveries, and the wider technical oversight that clients require, whether that is BSI reviews, physical inspections, or comprehensive technical records management. It is highly dynamic and a varied workload, and I would not have it any other way.
Career Inspiration
What inspired you to pursue a career in technical aviation?
Pursuing engineering was always on the cards for me, even before I knew what a jet engine was. Looking back, I can see that from a very young age I was surrounded by curiosity and a passion for understanding how things work. My father was a mechanical engineer, so I spent a lot of time visiting steel plants and blast furnaces, seeing complex engineering up close from a very early age. That exposure shaped how I think about machines.
Aviation felt like a natural extension of all of that. It brings together technical complexity with a genuinely dynamic environment, and the more I learned about the industry, the more I wanted to be part of it. Engines, in particular, have always fascinated me. There is an intricate engineering to them that keeps drawing me in. Once I understood what was happening inside one, I never looked at an aircraft the same way again.
Understanding Your Day to Day Duties
For those less familiar with Technical Services Manager role in aviation, what does your day to day typically involve?
Think of the Technical Service Manager (TSM) as the person who absorbs certain day-to-day operational complexities of a project so our clients, who generally manage a portfolio of an array of assets have complete peace of mind. My day typically begins with proactive planning, and I am a firm believer in the value of that. Planning gives you complete visibility over your priorities. You have targets, KPIs, and commitments made to clients, and without a clear structure, things can easily slip.
Beyond the planning, a typical day involves managing a team of consultants across different time zones, backgrounds, and perspectives. You are tracking progress, keeping an eye on monthly targets set internally with our Singapore team, and collaborating with multiple stakeholders at any given time.
What I enjoy most about this role is that no two days are exactly the same. It combines technical expertise with project management and constant stakeholder engagement. At the end of the day, you can look at a successful outcome and know your team’s coordination helped make it happen. Which is very important to me.
In terms of our clients, we predominantly work with lessors, alongside a significant number of airlines. A project is never a solo effort, it requires strong partnership. You need alignment from the airline side, third-party vendors like BSI inspectors, and our own team of consultants. The TSM’s job is to orchestrate all those moving parts so the project lands exactly as it should.
Proud Moments
Is there a particular achievement you are most proud of?
On a broader level, the thing I am most proud of is simply that people have confidence in my abilities and know they can count on me. Projects will always come and go. Once you deliver one, the next one supersedes it. But trust is something that stays with you, and that is what I value most.
That said, there is one technical moment that stands out. During my time as a BSI inspector, I identified a finding that was not part of AMM at the time, and it turned out to be new to the OEM itself. It was an internal component, something lying beneath the HPT blades, which is precisely why it had not been documented. Nobody had anticipated it appearing in a borescope inspection because of where it sits within the engine. When it did come up, we grounded the aircraft, took it to the OEM, and the finding was subsequently placed into the AMM. After that, it started being noticed far more regularly across inspections. Knowing that something you spotted in the field ended up in the manual is a fairly special feeling.
Beyond that, I have received immense appreciation letters during my time at Jet Airways and was awarded Employee of the Quarter during my period with SpiceJet. Throughout my career I have managed complex engine shop visits, tabletop inspections, lease transitions, and engine asset management across a very varied set of stakeholders.
Key Skills
What skills are most important in your role?
There are many skills you need in this field, but a few stand out for me specifically.
The first is learning to stay calm under pressure. I know that is easier said than done, but a cluttered mind cannot produce clear solutions, and a panicked response tends to make things worse. I have come to see pressure as a privilege, because it unlocks strengths and potential within yourself that you genuinely did not know were there. That realisation came from personal experience, not from a textbook.
The second is resilience. You cannot be afraid of failure in this industry. Some of the most valuable lessons of my career have come directly from things that did not go to plan. You have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone and understand what you are trading off when you do.
Third, and I would say this applies as much in aviation as anywhere: keep learning. In this industry, learning never stops. New technology, new regulations, new aircraft, new processes. Every bit of new knowledge opens up new possibilities.
And last, but absolutely not least, communication. As you move up the growth ladder, your ability to speak clearly, to convey what you know, to bring people along with you, becomes fundamental. Rather than talking around a problem, crisp and direct communication is what earns you credibility in rooms where decisions are being made.
Industry Outlook
How do you see the aviation industry evolving in your field?
Aviation is such a dynamic industry, and the pace of change is genuinely high right now. In the engine space specifically, we are already seeing predictive maintenance, digital records, AI, and advanced analytics being used to monitor engine health in real time. How we manage aircraft and engines now is going to look very different in the years ahead, and I am genuinely excited to see where AI takes it.
Looking forward, technology will absolutely transform how we assess engines, but the fundamentals will not change. Safety, reliability, operational excellence: these will always sit at the heart of aviation when it comes to powerplant. That does not shift.
What I also notice is a much stronger focus on sustainability. SAF, fuel efficiency, the broader question of how you squeeze more life out of your assets when engine shop slots are constrained and aircraft are sitting on the ground longer than anyone would like. Operators are increasingly looking at engine exchange programmes as a way of keeping metal flying rather than waiting months for a shop visit. Fleet modernisation is a genuine priority right now, and the technical teams supporting it need to be right there alongside the technology as it evolves.
Women in Technical Aviation
What has your experience been like as a woman in this sector?
Technical expertise is not measured by who you are, but by what you know, how you think, and the value you create. That is how performance should always be assessed. In highly technical environments, credibility is built through knowledge, judgment, and execution. Over time, I’ve learned that your work becomes your strongest introduction.
As someone who has spent a career around jet engines, I often say that engines are wonderfully impartial. They don’t care about titles, backgrounds, or labels. They only care whether you understand them well enough to keep them running safely and reliably. In the end, competence speaks louder than anything else.
Advice for Future Talent
What advice would you give to young women considering a career in aviation?
Honestly, I do not think young women coming into aviation today need advice. They are talented, ambitious, and more than capable of mapping their own course. What I would say instead is this: the fuel is already within you.
There will always be days that feel like day one, no matter how experienced you become. Build your own runway, trust the process, and take off from there. Believe in yourself regardless of what comes your way. Good things stick when you show up consistently and do the work.
Outside of Work
What keeps you motivated outside of the workplace?
I am a fairly simple person, honestly. I do not crave adventures for the sake of them. What I love are experiences that remind me how much there is still to learn and explore in the world, whether that is in relationships, at work, or in nature. I enjoy becoming a little wiser, a little better, and a little more curious than I was yesterday. That is what keeps me going.
Travel has become something I have grown to love, albeit later than most. It broadens your perspective in a way that is hard to replicate. I enjoy learning about new cultures and talking to local people wherever I go. And one relatively recent addition to my interests is snorkelling, which genuinely amazes me every single time. Seeing what exists beneath the surface of the sea is a reminder that there is so much in the world that you cannot appreciate until you look a little closer.
Outside of work education wise, I am also currently pursuing an Executive MBA in Finance at SP Jain School of Global Management here in Dubai, which keeps things interesting.
Anything Your Colleagues Might Not Know?
I am really an open book, so if my colleagues read this, they will probably say they already knew all of it. But one thing I would like to share is that I have always genuinely enjoyed the challenge of starting at zero. Not because it is comfortable, but because starting from scratch opens your mind and gives you a clean slate to write your own story. There is a real joy in being new to something, in not yet having preconceptions. I take that feeling as a gift rather than a disadvantage.
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