Diana Kang is a working mother. When Covid struck, the industry she works in – air cargo – got insanely busy. So did Diana’s life.

Diana Kang
Commercial Manager China, Chapman Freeborn
​Beijing, China

While some in the aviation world have seen a huge reduction in flights, we have seen an increase due to the need to fly cargo around the world during the pandemic. Especially PPE and now the vaccine. I have been managing up to 70 inquiries during the busy weeks of the Covid crisis and preparing flights around the clock. This is a big increase from the pre-Covid period and we are doing everything we can to keep up with demand and also play our part in fighting the disease.

Juggling work and family life has been a real challenge. My husband is a police officer and has been working hard to maintain public order as we all fight the pandemic.  He has not been at home as much as normal because of his job, but we all understand how important his job is and we are proud of him for what he does to help our community to get through this difficult period.

During some of the busiest times, I will only get a few hours of sleep.  We work late and then I want to get up early to prepare food for the day and to set up the online courses for my children.

But I love my job and sometimes that is because of what we are able to achieve. I was really impressed when we got the enormous AN225 to carry commercial goods for the first time in recent years. It took nearly 20 hours to complete the loading – a real dawn till dusk assignment. I was responsible for adjusting the loading plan and making sure we did everything in a timely fashion and in the end the aircraft was able to transport the maximum amount of cargo which was really pleasing!

 It’s been tough, but I continue to work hard for both my family and my profession, both of which are important to me and because I know we are making a difference and that we will help the aviation industry bounce back.