Saudi women in aviation fly to new heights

Saudi carriers Flynas and Flyadeal have hired more women among their crew on flights earlier this year, as businesses in the Kingdom move to include more women across various sectors.

Flynas has set up the Future Pilots and Flight Attendants programs to encourage the participation of women, in-line with the kingdom’s campaign of economic diversification, according to a report issued by the Center for International Communication.

On the other hand, Flyadeal, which had begun posting jobs for women to in the second half of 2018, graduated its first cadre of Saudi female flight attendants earlier this year. The new graduates have already started work with the carrier.

“Saudi women are as competent as their male counterparts when it comes to working as flight attendants and ensuring the safety and comfort of travelers,” said Mashael Muteb, the first female Saudi flight attendant to serve with Flynas crew.

Muteb had trained as a dentist before joining Flynas.

Overall, there is a push in the Kingdom to employ more women in the aviation sector. In January 2018, Eqbal Darandari— an assistant professor of psychology at King Saud University and one of the first female members of the consultative Shoura Council— called on the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and Saudi carriers to support Saudi women who are looking to become pilots, co-pilots, and flight attendants.  

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aims to increase women’s participation in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent by the end of the next decade.

Currently, only four percent of the aviation sector is made up of women. But, it’s not just the private sector that’s opening up its doors to Saudi women.

GACA recently hired Maha Al Yamani, a specialist in risk management, as its first female employee.

The Kingdom has aviation schools, including those that train pilots and maintenance staff, in addition to schools such as Prince Sultan University that teach the management side of aviation, Al Yamani told CIC.