Ethiopian Airlines has announced that its first all African female crew flight will take off from the Ethiopian capital, Adis Ababa to the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos Nigeria on Saturday, the 16th of December. The airline said women would be expected to fill every role on the flight, from the pilots and cabin crew to in-flight ramp operations as well as flight dispatchers on the ground.
“This flight shows us that if women get equal opportunities and work hard, I’m sure they can achieve whatever they want in all fields including the aviation industry,” said Capt. Amsale Gualu, the pilot.
The all-female crew, which also has Tigist Kibret as the first officer, will be flying the Boeing 777.
“We want to promote women’s empowerment and encourage more African women to pursue an aviation career. Although one-third of our employees are women, the figure is smaller when it comes to positions such as pilots and technicians”, the airline spokesperson said.
In a country where few women have dared to enter the highly male-dominated profession of piloting, Capt. Amsale Guale in 2010 became the first Ethiopian female captain by flying an Ethiopian Airlines Bombardier from Addis Ababa to Gondar.
