This week marks International Women’s Day, and Jazeera Airways is the first airline in Kuwait to run a flight with an all-female crew. From Kuwait to Riyadh, the eight-person female crew piloted an Airbus A320neo carrying 172 people.

The airline operated Kuwait’s first all-female flight and cabin crew on March 8 to honor International Women’s Day. Before operating the return flight, the team flew from Kuwait International Airport (KWI) to King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh.

Seham Al Husaini, Board Member at Jazeera Airways and a passenger on the flight, said,

“It’s been a pleasure to be a part of today’s all-women flight to Riyadh on International Women’s Day. I would like to congratulate the entire crew headed by Capt. Elif Guveyler and the amazing Jazeera team on the ground. The aviation industry is one of the most exciting places to build a career and break barriers, I’m hoping to be on many more flights led by women in the air and supported by women on the ground.”

Jazeera Airways now boasts a workforce of over 1,200 employees from 68 nationalities and highlights its belief in “diversity, inclusion and gender parity.” The carrier adds that its first-ever all-female-operated flight is “a significant achievement, especially in an industry considered male-oriented.”

Throughout the last week, dozens of airlines from all around the world have run their own all-female flights in honor of International Women’s Day. This includes initiatives from Malaysia Airlines and Virgin Australia, to name a few, as well as the Air India Group, which planned over 90 flights with an all-female crew this month.

Rohit Ramachandran, CEO at Jazeera Airways, commented,

According to Women in Aviation International (WAI), FAA Aeronautical Center data from the end of 2020 reveals that 8.4% of pilots and 14.2% of students are female, and the numbers are trending upwards thanks to efforts across the industry. The proportion of women in the male-dominated aviation industry has gradually increased over the past two decades. Following numerous significant female CEO appointments in recent years, adjustments have also been made in the boardroom, causing the industry’s female CEO representation to increase from 3% in 2019 to over 8% by the end of 2022.”While it is a historic moment for us, for these hardworking women, it is just another day at work. At Jazeera, employees are the backbone of our company and we pride ourselves on being an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that by valuing and absorbing diverse perspectives from employees, we can create a stronger, more innovative, and more successful organization.”