UAE women pilots earn Emirates captain stripes

Dubai’s Emirates has promoted Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri to captain rank, making them the first UAE national women to reach the command position at the airline and placing both on its Boeing 777 flight deck.

The promotion gives the two pilots their fourth stripes after years of training, line flying and command preparation within one of the world’s largest long-haul carriers. Both came through the Emirates Group’s National Cadet Pilot Programme, a structured pathway that has supplied the airline with UAE national pilots since the 1990s and remains central to its workforce development strategy.

Jawad joined Emirates in 2008 as a cadet pilot, turning a childhood ambition into a career that now spans more than 9,250 flying hours. Al Mheiri entered the same programme in 2011 and advanced through the operational ranks with mentoring from training captains and fleet leaders. Their elevation marks a symbolic moment for the airline, where the captaincy carries responsibility for aircraft command, crew leadership, passenger safety and operational decision-making across long-haul routes.

Both pilots are now serving on the Boeing 777 fleet, one of Emirates’ core wide-body aircraft types. The Dubai carrier operates one of the world’s largest fleets of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, with the 777 central to its global network across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. Command on the aircraft requires extensive simulator checks, route experience, technical assessment and leadership evaluation before a pilot receives the fourth stripe.

Jawad described the promotion as a proud moment but not the end of her professional journey. “Receiving my fourth stripe is a proud milestone, but I don’t see it as the destination. This is just the beginning, I don’t believe the sky is the limit. The path to command is built over time, and my years as a First Officer prepared me for this moment,” she said.

Her interest in aviation began early. At 14, she watched the UAE’s first female pilot on television and was struck by the confidence and presence of a woman in the cockpit. That encounter shaped her career choice and later guided her entry into Emirates’ cadet training system, where classroom instruction, simulator work and live flying are combined with fleet-specific development.

Al Mheiri credited the airline’s mentoring culture for shaping her professional growth. She said guidance from training captains and senior leaders strengthened both her technical and leadership skills, while reinforcing the importance of responsibility, discipline and continuous learning. “One of the most meaningful lessons I gained throughout this journey was the importance of passing knowledge and experience forward,” she said.

The two captains also framed their achievement as part of a wider message to aspiring women in aviation. “Our leadership has long recognised women as essential partners in shaping our nation’s future, and Emirates is creating the environment and opportunities for women to thrive, and we will continue to build on this for future generations,” they said.

Their promotion comes as Gulf carriers sharpen their focus on pilot pipelines amid growing aircraft orders, expanding networks and competition for skilled aviation professionals. Airlines across the region are investing in academies, cadet schemes and national workforce programmes to secure long-term cockpit capacity. Emirates has been expanding training infrastructure, including advanced pilot training facilities, to support both fleet renewal and future growth.

Captain Hassan Alhammadi, Emirates’ divisional senior vice-president for flight operations, said the cadet pilot programme remains vital in creating a pathway for young men and women to become commercial pilots. He said the promotions reflected “years of dedication, professionalism and hard work” and showed the airline’s ability to develop UAE national talent from entry level to senior operational roles.

The National Cadet Pilot Programme, launched in 1993, is fully funded by the Emirates Group and has trained UAE national pilots who have gone on to become captains, training pilots and senior aviation leaders. Cadets move through theoretical instruction, flight training, simulator assessment and operational conversion before entering airline service, with continuing checks at every stage of their careers.