Profile: Marion Kerrmann, an Adventurer in the Skies

The woman from Alsace has become the third female captain at Saint-Barth Executive.

Women are not in the majority in the skies. But at Saint-Barth Executive, which operates the Air Inter Îles service, more and more women are taking the controls. A few months ago, Marion Kerrmann joined the ranks of the airline, which operates out of Saint-Barth. The Alsatian woman had always had the idea of “flying in the islands” in the back of her mind. With a father who flew helicopters, the teenager quickly developed a passion for aviation. An article in *Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace* even recounts her first solo flight at the age of 15.

A daredevil child
Marion grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot in the military. Life had other plans, however, and led her to the Army instead. She trained at Saint-Cyr for three years before being injured. During the COVID-19 pandemic, “while planes were grounded,” Marion took stock of her life and decided to return to her first love: aviation. Whether in the military or aviation, environments with few women do not intimidate her. “It’s never been a problem for me,” she says confidently. “What’s always mattered to me was doing my job well.” With her head on her shoulders, Marion Kerrmann makes no secret of her love of adventure. “As a kid, I was a daredevil. My brother and I would climb trees, ride mountain bikes in the mountains, and run across the cars lined up in our dad’s garage,” she says with a smile.

Moments of freedom
A taste for risk that comes in handy when you have to land a plane on the challenging runway in Saint-Barthélemy. For the past week, Marion has been flying solo in a Pilatus PC-12 NGX. “On the first flight, there’s a bit of adrenaline,” she admits. “But then you gain confidence—it’s just you out there anyway.” ” Up in the air, the 29-year-old woman enjoys these moments of freedom offered by her job—and by Saint-Barth’s unique runway. “Here, you have to do everything manually for the landing,” she explains. “You have to be responsive, you have to be fully present in the plane, and not just go with the flow.” It’s a daily challenge for a woman who loves new adventures.