In a bid to lift women pilots in Australia, Qantas boss Alan Joyce has committed to a goal of at least 50 per cent women in its pilot cadet intake in a decade's time.

The initiative is named after the legendary Australian female aviator, Nancy Bird Walton, and aims to boost the number of women pilots in the airline's ranks by encouraging young girls to make the necessary subject choices in high school.

"Next year Qantas will hire more than 300 pilots across the group – I want us to up the ante with our female pilot intake," Mr Joyce will tell the Male Champions of Change Leaders forum in Sydney on Thursday.

Qantas will commit to a 20 per cent intake of women in its 2018 cadet program, and double that number over the next decade to reach gender parity, at intake.