Three women made history as the first female pilots at Malaysia Airlines: Pearl Wendy Mak, Wang Wen Chien and Nur Hidayah Mohamad Rasidin.
At the MAS crew graduation, CEO and Captain Izham Ismail expressed pride in the milestone: “I’m very proud that for the first time Malaysia Airlines has three amazing, strong and resilient women graduating as pilots today. It is my hope that the future of Malaysia Airlines includes many more female captains flying our aircraft and making the country proud.”
The airline has actively sought to recruit more female pilots amid global pilot shortages. Second Officer Wang Wen Chien said her interest in flying began in adolescence when she took a one-day introductory pilot course.
“I was fascinated when the aircraft took off with the pilot seated next to me; he even taught me to perform some maneuvers in the sky and I found it really exciting,” Chien told New Straits Times. She encouraged other women who are interested in aviation to pursue their passion: “Do what you like. It may not be easy at the beginning, but never give up halfway through because you never know what the outcome will be.”
The three pilots join a relatively small global community: according to Women in Aviation International, women make up just 7.01 percent of pilots worldwide. Their achievement highlights progress in gender diversity within the aviation industry and serves as inspiration for women considering careers as pilots.