Four Women Have Qualified To Join The Ranks

Four Malaysian women have qualified to become pilots for Malaysian Airlines, becoming the first women to fly for the carrier.

The Arab News reports that Pearl Mak is airline's first female captain. She told the paper that it took a lot of effort to "break into this male-dominated profession."

But Mak said it was her lifelong ambition to fly, and not just any airplane. "I wanted to fly jet aircraft, and it had to be a Boeing 747."

Mak said she supported herself financially to make it through pilot training, and now it "is an honor to serve my national carrier."

Another of the women, Hooi Wen Foo, who is qualified to fly as second officer for the airline, said she was inspired by her dad. It had been his dream to become a pilot when he was young, and that rubbed off on Foo.

While Malaysian Airlines is just welcoming their first female pilots, the country's low cost carrier AirAsia has 55 female pilots, and a woman is the CEO of the airline.

(Top mage from Malaysian Airlines news release. [L-R] Capt. Che Ismail, Capt. Pearl Mak. Lower Image from Malaysian Airlines Twitter. Malaysia Airlines' second officer Wang Wen Chien steers her inaugural flight to Nanjing, China in August 2018)

FMI: Source report