Turkish woman becomes Kuwait’s first female captain pilot

ISTANBUL

A Turkish woman who has been working for Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways for three years has become Kuwait’s first female captain pilot after completing her training.

Graduating from the English Language and Literature Department, Elif Güveyler began to work at the airport.

Güveyler, who had the chance to observe people from several professions during her service at the airport, discovered that her dream job and passion was piloting.

After deciding to become a pilot in 2010, she quit her job and started to receive pilot training.

The 39-year-old woman obtained her pilot’s license after a two-year training period.

With the completion her training, Güveyler announced that she became the first female captain pilot of the airline company she worked for in Kuwait and the country.

“I have been wanting to tell you this news for a long time. I would like to share with you the pride of being the first female captain pilot of the company and the country [Kuwait] after many years of hard work, effort and proving myself,” Güveyler stated while sharing her photos wearing a pilot uniform.

Perceived as a male-dominated profession, there has been an intense demand from women for piloting in recent years.

Accordingly, one out of every four pilots will be women in the future, stated Osman Koç, a faculty member from Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) University.

The number of female students who chose the pilotage department of the university increased significantly over the last two to three years, he pointed out.