Jeddah, May 22 (BNA): Saudi women made history by flying a plane with an all-female crew.
“For the first time in the history of Saudi aviation! #flyadeal has operated its first flight with a female crew, the majority of whom are Saudis, on board the latest A320 aircraft. Low-cost airline flyadeal announced, on its official Twitter account, that flight number 117, coming from #Riyadh to #Jeddah.
Flight 117, with a crew of seven, mostly Saudis, was co-piloted by Yara Jan, 23, who is also the youngest Saudi pilot.
Jan told Arab News that she is very proud to be involved in such a historic moment in aviation for Saudi women.
Saudi women have proven themselves in many professions that have long been dominated by men, including aviation-related positions.
“As a Saudi woman trying to lead my country with a proud stride, it was a moment of pride and joy,” she said.
Jan graduated from a flight school in Florida, US, in 2019, and joined Flyadeal a year ago.
She told the Saudi daily that being a co-pilot meant helping the pilot with many key role tasks such as navigation and completing many checklists.
Jan realizes how important this is to young Saudi women.
“Although being a Saudi female pilot is a new thing, it is not impossible for our generation, especially with the support we receive from our beloved country and our respected leaders, who have supported me a lot to become the youngest pilot in Saudi Arabia. I will always be happy to get the chance to make a change. positive “.
The number of Saudi female pilots has increased recently. Three names stand out: Hanadi Zakaria Al Hindi, the first pilot to fly with a Saudi commercial pilot license. Rawiya Al-Rifi was the first to fly internationally with an Airbus A320 as a civil aircraft from the United Arab Emirates. and co-pilot Yasmin Al-Maimani, who was the first woman to co-pilot a commercial airliner in Saudi Arabia.
FKN