Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri got their fourth stripes in 2026 and became the first women to ever become a captain of Emirates airlines in the UAE. Although Hanan Mohammed Jawad got her career as an airline cadet in 2008, Bakita Al Mheiri joined in 2011. Hanan and Bakhita also operate the Boeing 777 at the Dubai International Airport
DUBAI: It is quite evident from the news reports that the company Emirates managed to promote their female pilots in Emirati to the rank of Captain of the Boeing 777. In this connection, one point which deserves mention is the fact that the promotion of Emirati female pilots to captain level in the aircraft is a historic moment. The promotion has involved Emirates first Emirati women pilots , Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri who were given the fourth stripe in 2026 and at present work as flight commanders at the Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest airports around the globe.
Two Paths Lead to One Historical Spot
Hanan Mohammed Jawad was a part of the Emirates’ National Cadet Pilot Programme that started back in 2008, when she was just 14 years old, and she saw the first female pilot in the UAE on television and realized then and there that she had to join in their footsteps. With almost two decades of experience as a First Officer, Hanan amassed 9,253 flying hours until she got promoted as a captain. What is more, for Hanan, getting the fourth stripe signified not an achievement but a significant step along the way to something even greater, requiring discipline and skills alike the latter maintained by her skiing, yoga, and Pilates.
Bakhita Al Mheiri started her Emirates career in 2011, being influenced and motivated by the other Emirati female pilots who had achieved much prior to her. Bakhita created each milestone in her career through the guidance of the training captains and the airline executives, who became the basis for both her professionalism and her style of leading others. For Bakhita, it was a very instructive experience which taught her the importance of constant education and the sense of responsibility; at the same time, she intends to become a mentor for other female pilots in their own careers.
“Watching the UAE’s first female pilot on television at 14 years old shaped everything that followed. The fourth stripe is a milestone not a final destination.” Hanan Mohammed Jawad, Boeing 777 Captain, Emirates
Programme Behind This Milestone Achievement
Promotion to First Women Emirates Boeing 777 Pilots is all due to a National Cadet Pilot Programme which was initiated by the Emirates Group back in 1993. For more than three decades, the NCPP has successfully groomed Emiratis who today work in the posts of captains, training captains, and other important management posts for Emirates and UAE aviation in general. Both Hanan and Bakhita started their careers from the National Cadet Pilot Programme. The Programme offered them both flying lessons at Emirates Flight Training Academy as well as career path ahead of them.
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What Emirates’ Leaders Claimed
Capt. Hassan Alhammadi, the Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President – Flight Operations, affirmed the dedication of Emirates to developing UAE Nationals as professional pilots. Capt. Alhammadi noted that the NCPP is the key means through which Emirates first Emirati women pilots would achieve their dreams of becoming commercial pilots, adding that the achievements of Hanan and Bakhita were made possible because of many years of dedication and effort, as well as due to the backing of the institution that had nurtured them right from day one.
The Emiratisation efforts of The Emirates Group have resulted in sustainable national career paths from the initial cadet stage right up to high-level management, which involves training, mentorship, and the application of international airline industry best practices. Hanan and Bakhita are currently at the prominent end result of this Emiratisation program; the two ladies who joined as cadets and became captains after fifteen years piloting some of the world’s most challenging airplanes.
