FOR the first time in SAA’s
84-year history, the airline took
to the skies in a transcontinental
flight operated by an all-female crew in
both the cockpit and the cabin.
On Wednesday, August 22, flight
SA222 flew from Johannesburg to
São Paulo, Brazil, with Captain Jane
Trembath at the helm, supported by
senior first officers Annemari Smit and
Asnath Mahapa.
SAA had previously operated allfemale
crew flights to domestic and
regional destinations, but this was
the first intercontinental flight, and
was undertaken in celebration of
Women’s Month. When it comes to the
number of female pilots employed by
the airline, SAA has double the global
average with 69, six of whom are
captains. In total, SAA’s female staff
complement sits at 45%, with 114
women working as aircraft technicians.
One of those aircraft technicians
is Nontuthuzelo Mgwedli. She has
worked for SAA since 2010 and says
while aviation can be perceived as a
male-dominated environment, it’s up to
women to adopt the right mindset and
have confidence in their abilities. Her
favourite aspect of her job is ensuring
aircraft safety.
“It’s about taking care and making
sure the aircraft is serviceable and
safe enough to carry all these lives.
We have a huge responsibility,” she
adds. Discussing SAA’s decision to
operate is first all-female international
flight, Nontuthuzelo says: “It gives
hope to that girl child who may
have grown up in a disadvantaged
background and may have never
thought they could step into such a
role.”
SAA chief commercial officer, Pumla
Luhabe, agrees. “Transformation
is part and parcel of our national
agenda and, as the national carrier, it
is important to lead by example. The
majority of the people at exco level at
SAA are black females – five out of
seven in total,” she says.
The Johannesburg-São Paulo
route was selected to mark 50
years of SAA flying to Brazil with the
inaugural flight operated in 1968 to
Rio de Janeiro, followed by São Paulo
from 1969. Today, the airline operates
daily flights on the route.
Woman power!
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