One of the UAE’s youngest female pilots is proud not only of her achievements but also of the fundamental shifts in attitude that encourage other young Emirati women to pursue their professional dreams, writes Caline Malek.

Bakhita al-Muhairi, 26, was one of the UAE’s youngest female pilots when she started her career with Emirates Airline. She attributes her choice to work in aviation to her passion for people’s history and culture.

“I didn’t want an office job because it does not spark anything in me,” she says. “I love being outside in the field, and I’ve always had this passion for using my hands on the job.”

A PILOT IN THE MAKING

After graduating from a government school in Dubai, al-Muhairi joined the Emirates Cadette Programme, getting the opportunity to study in Spain and learn how to fly.

“Flying was scary but exciting,” she shares. “When you’re flying alone, you feel in charge. It was a beautiful experience.”

Upon her return to Dubai, she spent a year practising on Boeing 777 – an important transition for any pilot to a larger aircraft.

“I love airplanes in general,” al-Muhairi says. “I started my training with Emirates two years ago, and I am now officially a first officer.”

After applying to seven different universities to pursue seven completely different majors, she found herself at a crossroads, struggling to choose among aviation, the army, dentistry, journalism and nuclear engineering. A quick pros-and-cons list eventually led her to follow her intuition and link her life to planes.

“I chose aviation because of this mix of people and cultures that I love,” she explains. “I like to learn about countries and how we are as people together, what defines us, and what makes us different.”

AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE

Almost immediately after she started flying five years ago, al-Muhairi fell in love with planes, describing them as “beautiful machines designed by incredible brains.”

Her hijab has also sparked interest among many of those she meets during her travels.

“People are mesmerised when they see a covered female pilot,” she says. “All of us, as humans, have this idea about certain things. It’s the same when people speak about an Emirati woman – you have an idea of it, which I hear, that we don’t work, but when you see us in a pilot uniform, we are seen as much more than that.”

In the past two years, al-Muhairi has witnessed far more women in different fields as they persevere in pursuing their passion, and she is proud of every single one of them.

“They are more open and finding what sparks them. This is very important. They do jobs that push them to be good at it, and I love to see all of this,” she says.

A CHANGING REGION

The shift has been gaining ground across the UAE and the region at large. Last October, Captain Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum, the UAE’s first Emirati commercial female pilot, established the Women in Aviation Association to increase awareness about the opportunities open to young women in aviation – from lawyers and engineers to doctors and pilots.

The UAE has also been working on promoting gender equality across the board, recently hosting the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai. Importantly, it leapt 23 places in the 2019 UNDP Gender Inequality Index to rise to number 26.

“It comes with a push, and people are more educated today,” al-Muhairi notes. “It’s nobody’s fault, but in the past, our parents’ generation had different priorities in life in terms of how they were going to survive, who would cook and clean, and life was different [from] today.”

She points to a diminishing survivor mechanism that allows young Emirati women to pursue their dreams and goals.

“All of these things come together, and you can tell there’s a shift in people in terms of caring more about themselves. Finding your spark is vital.”

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

As she embarks on a two-year master’s in aviation management at the Emirates Aviation University, al-Muhairi believes she is investing in herself.

“I like this part of me where I try new things. We are not so different, and we are a lot more alike than we seem, no matter how big the world is. Being exposed to many people broadens your mind, and the UAE is the perfect example of that with more than 200 nationalities – it’s a melting pot, and people are finally reaching a position of self-awareness.”