Yasmeen Al Maimani Becomes Saudi Arabia’s First Female Commercial Pilot
“Elhamdullah achieved my dream today”
Six years after receiving her aviation license from the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority, Al Maimani has made strides becoming the first female pilot to head a domestic flight in the kingdom.
After a long-awaited search with no return in the professional world, Saudi Arabian airline Nesma Airways granted the female aviator the permit last week, marking a major milestone in aviation history. Al Maimani posted a photo of herself in action on Instagram saying she has achieved her dream.
After 300 hours of flying practice in the US, the 28-year-old had been job hunting for many months and had no luck even after changing her international permit to a local licence six years ago. This milestone follows from the first local permits that were issued to five Saudi females just last year in August paving the way for their sister pilots.
Saudi’s princess and ambassador to the United States Reema bint Bandar Al Saud tweeted the news on Friday.
Saudi female pilot becomes first to head official flight in the kingdom https://t.co/I1xdUK3UqN
— Reema Bandar Al-Saud (@rbalsaud) June 14, 2019
With the growing determination to support females in the kingdom, here’s to a future that empowers women all over the world.
Watch: Bazaar talks to Emirati fashion designer Shatha Essa about inspirational women as a driving force for change, cultural identity and the evolution of the Emirates.