Young women Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri have flown through the Emirates Group’s National Cadet Pilot Programme to make history and become the airline’s first ever female captains. Both pilots officially earnt their fourth stripe this year and operate the Boeing 777 fleet.
“We are immensely proud of Hanan and Bakhita for becoming Emirates’ first Emirati female captains, a well-deserved achievement that reflects years of dedication, professionalism, and hard work, and underscores the airline’s ability to nurture Emirati talent from entry level through to the highest leadership roles.”
Hanan and Bakhita said:
“Our leadership has long recognised women as essential partners in shaping our nation’s future, and Emirates is creating the environment and opportunities for women to thrive, and we will continue to build on this for future generations.”
Over fifty years ago, the first UK female airline captain was Yvonne Pope Sintes in 1972, who flew for commercial airline Dan-Air to Glasgow. She was instrumental in paving the female aviation career path as prior to this, she was also the first female air traffic controller at Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Globally, women comprise just 4.7% of all pilots. Currently, in the UK, according to a Freedom of Information request to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), 5.8% of captains are female. Statistics vary between airlines but currently around 7.5% of easyJet pilots are reported to be female, whilst Air New Zealand (ANZ) reports a higher figure at 8.97%.
To mark International Women’s Day (IWD) last March 8, ANZ was among many airlines including Wizz Air, Air India and Loganair to operate all-female crewed flights to promote gender equality and equal opportunities.
There have been several UK initiatives to encourage young women to pursue a flight career path. In the wake of the pandemic in 2022, easyJet launched virtual online classes for children called ‘Flightsize lessons’. It then launched a summer flight school at its training centre for young people to experience flying a flight simulator and meet pilots in 2023. This followed its commissioned study of 2,000 parents and their children which found as many as two-thirds believed that being a pilot is a job exclusively for men.
In 2024, the UK CAA reported a 43% increase in the number of commercial flying licences issued to women between 2019 and 2023. At the time the Chairwoman of the British Women’s Pilot Association (BWPA) said:
“As a pilot, it’s incredibly rewarding to see the rise in female pilots over the years, the change in the industry makes it more accessible for young women. I actively encourage young females to consider flying as a career choice and it’s empowering to see so many unlocking the incredible possibilities of the aviation industry.”
In 2026, with this inspiring news of the promotion of two female pilots to captain status, there is further hope that the world of aviation is addressing the gap of gender equality.
Are you already a female pilot or perhaps feeling inspired to becoming one? Share your experiences in the comments below.
