Emirates' Historic Captains
Emirates Appoints First Emirati Female Captains to Boeing 777 Fleet, Marking Aviation Milestone
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Emirates said its National Cadet Pilot Programme was launched in 1993 and includes both theoretical and practical training at the airline’s Flight Training Academy, with graduates going on to command, training, and management roles within Emirates and across the UAE aviation sector.
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Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President Flight Operations Hassan Alhammadi said the airline is “committed to developing our UAE Nationals,” adding that the cadet pilot programme “remains vital” by providing “a path to young men and women to pursue professions as commercial pilots at Emirates.”
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Hanan Mohammed Jawad attributed her ambition to a childhood inspiration: “When I was 14, I saw the UAE’s first female pilot on TV and was struck by her confidence and presence. From that point on, all I wanted was to become a pilot.”
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Emirates framed the “fourth stripe” as “a symbol of leadership, excellence, and responsibility in the cockpit,” marking the captains’ readiness for command.
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In remarks to aspiring pilots, the airline quoted Hanan and Bakhita saying: “Our leadership has long recognised women as essential partners in shaping our nation’s future… Emirates continues to create opportunities for women to thrive, and we hope future generations will continue to build on this progress.”
Emirates has promoted two Emirati female pilots to captain for the first time in the airline's history. Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri now command Boeing 777 aircraft, earning their "fourth stripes" after more than a decade of service each. Breaking Travel News called it "a significant milestone in aviation history."
Both women rose through the Emirates National Cadet Pilot Programme, which the airline launched in 1993. Hanan joined the programme in 2008 and Bakhita followed in 2011. Together, they climbed from cadet roles to First Officer — and now to the highest rank in the cockpit.
From Teenage Dream to the Captain's Seat
Hanan has logged 9,253 total flying hours, according to ARN News Centre. Her path to aviation started with a single moment at age 14. "When I was 14, I saw the UAE's first female pilot on TV and was struck by her confidence and presence," she said. "From that point on, all I wanted was to become a pilot."
Bakhita joined four years later and followed a similar track — years of simulator work, line flying, and building hours as a First Officer on long-haul routes. Both entered the Command Upgrade Programme before receiving their promotions this year. They credited mentorship and Emirates' training support as key to reaching command.
The Fourth Stripe Means More Than a Promotion
Emirates calls the fourth stripe "a symbol of leadership, excellence, and responsibility in the cockpit." It marks the moment a pilot becomes the final authority on the aircraft — the Pilot-in-Command. For Hanan and Bakhita, it came after over a decade of building the experience that rank requires.
The two captains were clear that this milestone is a beginning, not an end. "Emirates continues to create opportunities for women to thrive," they said in a joint statement, "and we hope future generations will continue to build on this progress." They framed the promotion as part of a longer path, not its destination.
Emirates' 31-Year Cadet Programme Drives the Pipeline
The National Cadet Pilot Programme is fully funded and combines classroom study with flight training at the Emirates Flight Training Academy. It has been running for 31 years. Travel Wires noted that graduates go on to fill command, training, and management roles across Emirates and the wider UAE aviation sector.
Hassan Alhammadi, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President of Flight Operations, said the airline is "committed to developing our UAE Nationals." He added that the programme "remains vital" by giving "a path to young men and women to pursue professions as commercial pilots at Emirates." Globally, only about 5.8% of commercial pilots are women, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.
UAE Aviation Has Been Trending This Way for Years
This is a first for Emirates, but not for the UAE. Aysha Al Hamli became the country's first female pilot in 2000. In 2022, Etihad Airways — Emirates' Abu Dhabi rival — promoted its own first Emirati female captain, Aisha Al Mansoori. Emirates' milestone closes a gap between the two carriers on this front.
Women make up roughly 40% of the Emirates Group's total workforce. But the vast majority have worked in cabin crew and ground operations, not flight decks. These two promotions push the needle in a part of the airline that has historically been almost entirely male. Emirates has a fleet expansion underway, with Boeing 777X and Airbus A350 jets on order, making a wider pilot pipeline a business need as much as a social one.
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