Advancing Aviation Safety
Distinguished Graduate Builds Career at Delta Air Lines

After earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in Aviation Management from Emirates Aviation University and interning in the corporate safety department at Emirates Airlines, Aditya Rathi (’22) was ready to continue developing his career and education in the field of aviation safety.

Why ERAU?

“[Embry-Riddle] currently is the only university in the world that offers such a specific program on safety. That's what actually drew me to come here in 2021 and pursue my degree in Safety Science,” he said of his decision to earn his master’s degree.

As Rathi learned more about Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, his interest in the innovation and experiences he could participate in on campus only grew.

Particularly, he was fascinated by The Roberston Aircraft Accident Investigation Laboratory, an eight-and-a-half-acre facility that allows students to conduct simulated accident investigations. All crashes on the site are recreated from actual accidents to reflect reality as closely as possible, and the lab is the only fully scenario-based accident training facility in North America.

“The Robertson Aircraft Accident Lab is so unique and one of its kind in the world,” he shared. “The accident lab... that we have as a part of the curriculum gives hands-on experience of aircraft crashes and allows us to learn from them.”

Experiences at Embry-Riddle

When he came to Embry-Riddle, Rathi was awarded the opportunity to partake in the ISASI-Robertson Fellowship Program, which gave him a full scholarship and allowed him to focus on his academic performance and research.

In this research, he assessed health and safety regulations on Ultra-Long Range commercial flights, confirmed existing regulations and identified gaps in these standards, then provided recommendations for how to fill those gaps.

Another aspect of Rathi’s fellowship involved working in the Aviation Safety and Security Archives on Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus. He says that experience was beneficial for a variety of reasons.

Aditya Rathi with his Distinguished Graduate award, in front of Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium. (Photo: Aditya Rathi)

“I used to quickly skim through the historical data, which gave me an added advantage in my classes just to learn from the history and what progresses and initiatives have already been done in aviation,” he said, a testament to his own dedication to growing in his field.

Remembering another benefit of his fellowship program, Rathi added: “Last year in the summer, I got a chance to interact with the General Manager of Corporate Safety with Delta Air Lines. I was lucky that I was in the right place at the right time - that's how I started my career at Delta.”

Since graduating from Embry-Riddle as a Distinguished Graduate from the M.S. in Safety Science program, Rathi has continued to work for Delta Air Lines and is now a full-time employee.

Career Development at Delta Air Lines

At Delta, Rathi is an Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Specialist in Flight Safety.

“My primary tasks are to process and assess the risk of pilot reported ASAP reports and manage day-to-day flight safety tasks, as well as support all the divisions that we have with the risk management and the safety assurance activities,” he shared about his role.

Rathi cites his favorite aspect of his job as the opportunity to gain exposure to the world of corporate aviation and the ability to witness what a “well-oiled machine” Delta is. He hopes to be able to soak up as much experience as possible throughout various departments.

“Being at Delta gives you opportunity to move around,” he explained. “Currently I'm in corporate safety, but they give you an opportunity to interact with different operational departments and closely work with them to promote safety programs. So, I’m trying to get exposure through that and if opportunity allows me, I would want to work for different departments in the safety role... so that I can learn more about the operations.”

His goals beyond Delta?

“As part of my career, it's my goal right now to serve in one of the biggest airlines in the world... In a decade, I see myself working for the International Civil Aviation Organization. What drives me every morning is to bring change in the terms of safety and find new ways of handling safety in the current generation.”

Passion for Safety

Rathi came to Embry-Riddle with a passion for his field that has only grown since. He shared that his favorite classes were Aviation Safety, taught by Brian Roggow, professor of Safety Science, and System Safety, taught by Dr. Maxwell Fogelman, now retired professor of Safety Science.

“Particularly for System Safety, I love statistics and maths. That course teaches you how statistics play a key role in predicting or being proactive around safety, what data sets you can gather and conduct quantitative analysis to measure different safety metrics - also known as Safety Performance Indicator around safety,” he remembered. “For Aviation Safety, it gives you a broad aspect around not only how the frontline employees, but management structure and accountability, play a critical role in safety.”

Rathi gives credit to those who have supported him throughout his career journey and beyond.

“I want to thank my grandmother and parents for supporting my decision to move to United States and pursue my career. And a special thanks to Trish Demasi, General Manager of SMS Corporate Safety at Delta Air Lines, for giving me the opportunity and a career break.”

When asked what advice he would give to a future student with dreams of working in aviation safety, Rathi had insight to offer.

“One of the things that drives me every day is the urge of ‘what new can I learn today?’” he shared. “This mindset has helped me a lot both academically and now with my career. Initially this can make one feel overwhelmed, but this is one of the key assets of aviation safety professionals.”

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