By Staff Reporter
Despite the glaring fact that the environment in the aviation industry is not yet enabling for women, in 2015 two Zimbabwean women made history when they became the first all-female pilot team.
Captain Chipo Matimba and Captain Elizabeth Simbi Petros defied all odds and inspired the hopes of millions of Zimbabwean women after having flown an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 737 from Harare to Victoria Falls.
This marked a new chapter in the aviation sector and became the pride of Zimbabwean women.
The duo represent a growing number of women who are defying the odds to venture into a highly male-dominated profession.
There is also Air Force of Zimbabwe’s (AFZ) first and only female fighter jet pilot, Flight-Lieutenant Angelina Bosha.
Bosha made a name by becoming the first female AFZ officer to complete the more revered fighter jet training course.
Bosha joined the air force after Captain Matimba had left to pursue a commercial career with Air Zimbabwe
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While global statistics show that the number of female pilots has been rising, the percentage is still negligible. Currently, there are a paltry 3% of women pilots, about 4 000 of the 130 000 pilots globally according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots.
But Africa has continued to record a marked growth in female pilots, an unprecedented phenomenon with such careers having been a preserve of men.
Women are still not given opportunities in positions where they would make strategic decisions in the aviation industry.
Less than 3% of CEOs in the global airline industry are women. This shows that the industry is still dominated by men.
