The first Emirati women captains at Emirates airline have proved how passion, tenacity and rigorous training can turn dreams into reality.
Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri rose through the ranks of the Emirates Group national cadet pilot programme. Both pilots operate Boeing 777s and have received their fourth stripes to become captains.
Ms Jawad said a lifelong passion had helped her to rack up more than 9,200 flying hours since she joined Emirates as a cadet pilot 18 years ago.
“As a kid, I remember a picture of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid in an aeroplane, so whenever we saw the picture we would say Baba Mohammed is flying,” Ms Jawad, 38, told The National.
“When I was 14, I saw the first Emirati [woman] pilot on TV. I got inspired by her and I thought: ‘Wow, she is a lady, so I can do it too.’ Since then I've focused on my goal and I've worked hard.”
Prepare to soar
Ms Jawad was 20 when she joined Emirates. Moving from first officer to captain has been a long journey of updating skills, hours of study, exams and consistent hard work.
She smiles as she recalls how after her first flight as captain to Algiers, passengers called out: “Captain, good landing.”
“It's a male-dominated profession, but I wanted to prove that I belong here. So I would observe, improve my knowledge [and] technical skills and I worked hard,” she said. “I was lucky with my colleagues because they all treated me as their sister and the management were always with us whenever we needed them.”
Ms Jawad has a wealth of experience, including flying direct long-haul flights of about 16 hours to Miami. Florida. As well as having the technical skills to be a successful captain, teamwork and strong communication skills are vital.
“It's absolutely an incredible privilege flying a huge aircraft, flying all over the world,” she said. “My responsibility is not only about the aircraft, it's also the people on board. The customers, the cabin crew, they all rely and trust on us.”
She hopes to pass her knowledge to children but warns that there are no shortcuts to success.
“I would tell them work hard and as long as you have a dream you can do it,” Ms Jawad said. “Success doesn't come overnight. It’s about taking small steps.”
Follow your passion
Bakhita Al Mheiri trained as a cadet on small planes before gradually moving to 777s to fulfil her ambition of flying and travelling the world.
The captain, 33, also started as a cadet pilot with Emirates, in 2011. Since then she has notched up more than 6,000 flying hours.
She advises young girls with big dreams to holding on to their self-belief. “Just because some things haven't been done before doesn't mean that it's impossible,” said Ms Al Mheiri.
“We need to understand that UAE is a country that went from a grain of sand to Burj Khalifa, an exceptional airport, an exceptional airline in 50 years. That is remarkable. For a nation that's only 50 years old, this is something to applaud.
“I would say to the younger generation that just because someone didn't do it before doesn't mean that the door is not open for you. Any career has its own challenges but if you are disciplined, you have the motivation and you have the right support, you can absolutely achieve it.”
She says there are plenty of challenges. “The technical aspect is something that every pilot has. Every flight comes with its own challenges,” she said.
“We have multi-crew nationalities, different backgrounds, different airports, then combine it with the weather of the day. I enjoy having these little challenges where you learn every day how to make sound decisions, how to communicate with different people in a different way.”
Staying open to change is also important, she said. “Accept the fact that not every day is the same, and you don't know everything, so every day you will learn something new.
“Someone will teach you something new. Different people require different types of communication which you should be open to deal with. I really do enjoy that.”
Cadet programme
The cadet programme gives UAE citizens the opportunity to study and train to become commercial pilots at Emirates and supports the company’s pilot staffing needs.
Pilots are trained at the Emirates Flight Training Academy, moving from theory to hands-on flying experience using advanced technology and adhering to strict safety standards. The training readies the pilots for careers at Emirates and other carriers.
Launched in 1993, many of the programme's Emirati graduates have become captains, training pilots and leaders across Emirates and the UAE aviation industry.
Capt Hassan Alhammadi, divisional senior vice president of flight operations at Emirates, spoke of their skills and work ethic.
“Both Hanan and Bakhita displayed high commitment and dedication,” he said. “They were consistent in developing their piloting skills continuously to achieve the highest standards.”
He said every year about 120 cadets were selected for the cadet programme from about 1,000 applications. The training typically took four years. To qualify as a first officer, a cadet must complete highly competitive tests, train on the simulator and the actual aircraft for at least 90 flight sectors.
To qualify as an Emirates captain, a pilot required a minimum of 6,000 flight hours and must display a high-performance standard.
