Qualified Saudi female pilots get high-flying offer

Abdulrahman Al-Misbahi and Faisal Majrashi ISTANBUL — Turkish Airlines General Manager Temel Kotil confirmed his readiness to appoint Saudi women as ‘captain pilots’ if they are qualified to fly planes. Kotil revealed Turkish Airlines’ readiness to employ female Saudi pilots, if they have not found jobs in local airlines. His offer came at a press conference in Ankara in the presence of the chief adviser in the Turkish Agency for Supporting and Encouraging Investments. There is a global shortage in number of pilots. This shortage will reach to about 100,000 pilots by 2020,” he said, while confirming there are opportunities for female Saudi graduates in aviation. He added: “There are types of aircraft that does not need physical strength to fly it, for which female pilots would be suited. In addition, we prefer to employ male and female Muslim pilots.”