Gulf women have consistently proven that they can fly high, but this Emirati royal takes it to new heights (literally). Sheikha Mozah Al Maktoum has just become the first female Emirati royal to pilot a commercial plane.
She didn’t even have time to make the announcement herself – her proud aunt Sheikha Lateefa Bint Maktoum beat her to it in a post on Instagram, showing Sheikha Mozah suited up and ready to fly.
But her aunt wasn’t the only happy family member – others from the Emirati Royal Family took to social media to congratulate her. Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted that she was so proud of her cousin. Sheikha Maitha herself is an Olympian Equestrienne, so she isn’t a stranger to breaking boundaries.
Sheikha Mozah posts a lot about her flying on Instagram, so her followers often get a look at her “office” – aka the sky.
She passed the APP First Officer Programme at CAE Oxford Aviation Academy last year, and recently had her first assisted flight, apparently with Emirates Airlines – though this detail has not been confirmed. Not a bad start for a new flier.
Apparently it runs in the family – Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum also shares Sheikha Mozah’s love of the sky, but from a slightly different perspective. The skydiving enthusiast celebrated UAE National Day by soaring above her country in a wingsuit.
Sheikha Mozah is latest woman to take to the Gulf’s skies. Two sisters dominated the news in 2016 when their careers took similar paths – Major Mariam Al Mansouri became the first Emirati female fighter jet pilot in 2007, and her sister Aisha Al Mansouri decided to take off from a different runway, becoming the first Emirati A380 female pilot last year.
