SkyTeam member Middle East Airlines was recruiting pilots – including women – in 1993. A friend showed a newspaper column to Rola Hoteit, then completing her degree in Mathematics at the American University of Beirut. It read, “Women cannot drive a car. How will they be able to fly an airplane?”
That piece, declaring that women couldn’t fly, encouraged her to apply. Out of 2000 applicants she was one of 9 accepted into training.
She finally made it to the left seat in 2010. Her maiden flight as a captain was from Beirut to Amman, carrying a former Prime Minister of Lebanon on board. Since she’s paved the way Middle East Airlines has hired four other women as pilots.
Now she’s piloting one of the airline’s 5 widebody aircraft, an Airbus A330-200, on one of the airline’s longest routes Beirut – London Heathrow – landing in crosswinds.
Incidentally Beirut is a fabulous destination, once known as Paris of the Middle East. I had high hopes, then, for the new Netflix show Dollar which is both created and set there and about a viral marketing campaign for a new bank. Sadly the show disappoints (though the Beirut backdrop does hold interest for awhile).
Have you been to Beirut? I know it was amazing until the civil war, and certainly has had a fair bit of violence since. I’d love to hear about it from a blogger who’s traveled a lot. So many other views are really skewed that it’s tough to know what to believe. Having read a vast number of your reviews, it’d be fairly easy to put Beirut in perspective.
Very impressed by that landing!
is she married? very attractive young lady!
Christian , Lebanon is an amazing place to visit .. its skewed by the fact that it doesn’t reflect a total Arabian picture , steeped in history , with remarkable features dating back to Phoenician times , embracing Greek , and Roman en route it has a wealth of archeological places to visit and explore .It has the additional aspect of embracing east & western cultures , with the widest variety of eateries , with the benefit & Bonus of their own amazing cuisine .The Lebanese are open to tourists , with warmth and affection wherever you visit , added to by having an excellent range of local wines with international recognition .The country is so small its makes for an ideal 1 week break ( longer will simply offer a wider scope of interests ) with only 3 hours to travel the length of the Nation and the same from sea level to her mountain peaks ,,and their famous Cedar Forests ,that become a visual winter wonderland during the heavy snowfall and including additional sites across the high ground and mountain resorts .Safety has long been a debate , as a British foreigner,resident for over 20 years i can add that it is far safer than a great deal of British resorts .at all times of the day & night , The night life, if that is what you seek , is immense ,and very upmarket , with bars pubs and bistros punctuating the city center and surrounding suburbs , Beach clubs and water sports are amongst the best , traffic is an issue during the day ,and driving conditions are extraordinarily bad , however tour buses , taxis and hire cars are available …you will not see camels , donkeys ,and wild Arab stallions , what you will see is an amazing array of cultural clashes , and a snapshot of Gods special acre .. a virtual paradise .