Description
Women In Aviation, International began in 1990 and was formally established in 1994 to encourage women to seek opportunities in aviation. According to the FAA, of the nearly 600,000 active pilots in the United States, approximately six percent are women and only slightly more than three percent ATP rated. Women account for only 4.13 percent of the more than 500,000 non-pilot aviation jobs in the United States.
As part of Women in Aviation’s global outreach, the first ever chapter for the middle east was launched in Dubai in 2013. The chapter started out with the aim to carry on the mission of Women In Aviation i.e to encourage women in the middle east with an enthusiasm for aviation to consider it as a career. In a short span of time Women in Aviation Middle East, founded by its President Ms Mervat Sultan, a qualified pilot and experienced aviation support professional, has gathered a following of hundreds of women exhibiting immense ardor. Women in Aviation opened doors in the middle east also with the aim to challenge all the negative stereotypes that have been conceived in regards to the women of the middle east and intends to increase exposure of aviation as a potential career for women in the region.
Despite the presumption of aviation being a specifically male-centric industry, there have been numerous strides accomplished by women in the middle east and we’ve seen numerous examples of women making their position amongst men as successful pilots, aircraft technicians, air traffic controllers, flight captains to name a few. Gone are the days when women’s roles in aviation were restricted to front desk jobs and as stewardesses on flights. Today’s middle eastern woman are strong, independent and determined to show the world that they can meet up the same expectations as of their male counterparts in the all walks in the industry.
We provide year-round resources to assist women in aviation and to encourage young women to consider aviation as a career. WAI also offers educational outreach programs to educators, aviation industry members and young people nationally and internationally.
In addition, WAI-ME promotes public understanding of the accomplishments and contributions of women in aviation from the region.
