UAE’s first female police pilot reveals secret of women’s rise
Shaikha Mozah attributes success to UAE’s leadership and family support
Emirati women are reaching for the sky thanks to the UAE’s leadership and culture of family support, the country’s first female police pilot told the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai yesterday.
Speaking at the ‘GameChanger’ session, Captain Shaikha Mozah Bint Marwan Al Maktoum, Lieutenant Pilot, Dubai Police, who is just 23, said: “We Emiratis are probably the luckiest citizens, to be part of this great nation. Our leaders are way ahead in their vision in support of gender equality.
“Thanks to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum [VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai] and his vision, women in the UAE are not only supported, but offered opportunities in the workplace, together with a stimulating environment to thrive. For this, I’m grateful and proud to be an Emirati.”
She also made special mention of her parents, outlining how they supported her throughout, be it her decision to study in the UK or to become a commercial pilot first and then a police pilot.
‘Difficult times’
Capt Shaikha Mozah, a former Emirates airline pilot, said she will “forever be grateful” to her family, adding that even with such close support, “I did have difficult times”.
Recalling her training, she said: “There were times I was missing home, times when I could not see a positive outcome. It was a challenge having to adjust my body to flying at different times of the day and night.”
Women in the UAE are not only supported, but offered opportunities in the workplace, together with a stimulating environment to thrive. For this, I’m grateful and proud to be an Emirati.”
Captain Shaikha Mozah
| Lt Pilot, Dubai Police
Capt Shaikha Mozah, who takes to the skies for search and rescue missions or patrol flights, added: “The truth is I may have actually had it more
difficult than the guys at some point, and that was OK. I’ve always faced such situations with a positive attitude.
She said aviation is “a very male-dominated industry” and women feel “we have to work twice as hard to prove our worth”. “However, this is slowly changing and we’re getting more women to join.”
In October 2019, Capt Shaikha Mozah established the Women in Aviation Association, Shehana.