Ethiopian Airlines operates all-women flight to mark Women’s Day

Africa’s largest aviation group and SKYTRAX certified Four Star global airline has scored the all-female flight crew feat highlighting the airline’s progress in empowering African women, and the contribution of women to the socio-economic development of the continent.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said the flight which was the six to be operated by the carrier, was to inspire women.

“Ethiopian firmly believes that such remarkable flights inspire African women and young girls to dream big and realize their dreams not only in aviation, but also in science, technology, engineering, art and other fields.

“While we celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women in Africa, we take a bold move towards further championing gender equality in Ethiopia and Africa at large,” he said.

The ET all-women flight crew flew the B777 from Addis Ababa to the US capital on Saturday while other female professionals handled all the ground operations including flight dispatch, load control, ramp operation, on-board logistics, safety and security, catering as well as air traffic control.

As an equal opportunity employer, ET said it creates an enabling environment for women to become the next generation aviation experts.

The airline has seen a remarkable rise in the number of women in different leadership positions. ET has been operating all-female flights since 2015. The airline has so far flown to Bangkok, Kigali, Lagos, Buenos Aires and Oslo with all-female crew.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed commitment to the implementation of the Aviation Gender Equality Programme as well as the promotion of women in STEM education.

NCAA’s Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said: “We recognize women as the bedrocks of all successful societies and on this day, we acknowledge and appreciate their contributions towards the development of the aviation industry.”