The Stream

Meet the five percent: Women pilots

Why are 95 percent of airline pilots men, and what will it take to change that?

Five percent of commercial airline pilots are women. As demand for air travel grows, the demand for pilots is growing, too. But around the world, it’s men primarily jumping into the cockpit. Expensive training, long stints from home and the legacy of an industry built by and for men keep many women out of the captain’s seat. That makes the few women at the helm all the more remarkable. On Wednesday, The Stream’s Femi Oke and Malika Bilal host a special conversation with women defying the odds in South Africa and the United States, as well as the three Royal Brunei pilots who made history crewing the first “unmanned” flight to Saudi Arabia.

 

In this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
 

Czarena Hashim
Captain, Royal Brunei Airlines

Nadiah Khashiem
Senior First Officer, Royal Brunei Airlines 

Sariana Nordin  
Senior First Officer, Royal Brunei Airlines 

Jane Trembath
Captain, Airbus 340

Eline Kok-Vermeulen  
Line Pilot, Aperture Aviation 

What is preventing more female pilots from breaking into the airline industry? Share your thoughts below.