Captain Sharifah Czarena and senior first officers Sariana Nordin and Dk Nadiah Pg Khashiem became Royal Brunei Airlines 'first ever all-female flight crew, piloting a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on flight BI081 from Brunei to Jeddah on 23 February. The milestone for the airline marked Brunei's National Day, which celebrates the country's independence.
The female pilots landed into Saudi Arabia – a country where conservative Muslim clerics rule that women aren't allowed to drive. Talal Alharbi, a Saudi journalist says women can only drive to drop off their children at school or when a family member needs to go to hospital. "Women should accept simple things", he writes in Arab News. "This is a wise thing women could do at this stage. Being stubborn won't support their cause." A ' Saudi women to Drive' Facebook page has amassed over 35,000 likes.
All-woman crew just flew us EWR-LHR. This crew flew Royal Brunei to Saudi: they can fly a plane but not drive a car pic.twitter.com/YSmxrvQZBR
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) March 13, 2016
In 2012, Sharifah Czarena made history as the first female captain in Southeast Asia: "Being a pilot, people normally see it as being a male dominant occupation. As a woman, a Bruneian woman, it is such a great achievement. It's really showing the younger generation or the girls especially that whatever they dream of, they can achieve it," she told The Brunei Times.
Royal Brunei Airlines says it is actively promoting careers for female pilots, the Metro reports.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
