First female PIA pilot

PIAforME · Post by **PIAforME** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:12 pm

http://flickr.com/photos/pimu/1276858492/

A link for author of this site, in case you had missed it.

atmalik · Post by **atmalik** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 7:38 pm

very interesting. never heard of her.

Abbas Ali · Post by **Abbas Ali** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 6:13 pm

As far as I know, Shukriya Khanum was the first Pakistani woman to gain Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) but she never served PIA as pilot.

According to a couple of very reliable sources, Shukriya Khanum served PIA for some years as ground instructor in airline's Flying Academy where she taught CPL ground subjects to potential cadet pilots.

Book titled 'Pakistan' by Stacey International, London, that I have in my collection, has exactly same picture of Shukriya Khanum that we see on flickr link posted by Kamran. The photo caption in this book says that Shukriya Khanum was the first Pakistani woman to fly a PIA aircraft. The book doesn't say she was first woman pilot in PIA. It's quite possible that during her career with PIA as ground instructor, Shukriya at some stage got opportunity to maneuver PIA aircraft on training flight with instructor pilots & student pilots on board.

PIA inducted women pilots for the first time in Pakistan's history in year 1990 and airline's first two women pilots were Ms. Maliha Sami and Ms. Ayesha Rabia. In 1990, Maliha became the first Pakistani woman pilot to operate a scheduled PIA flight and entered her name into Pakistan's aviation history by flying PIA Fokker F-27 flight as full-fledged First Officer on Karachi-Panjgur-Turbat-Gwadar sector.

PIA's first woman pilot Maliha Sami here seen as Airbus A310-308 First Officer in year 2001 - Copyright Umar Anis

Recently Maliha's photo as Boeing 737-300 First Officer also appeared on the cover of Sep-Oct 2007 issue of PIA's in-flight magazine 'Humsafar' as seen below.

Image Credit: Muhammad Ali (Forum member Aer Pakistan)

Maliha can also be seen on postage stamp issued by Pakistan Post Office on March 8, 2007 to celebrate International Women's Day.

Source: Pakistan Post

kamalla · Post by **kamalla** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:19 pm

Great detailed info on the matter!
I too was surprised to hear the claim of PIA's first female pilot being so long ago.

Abbas, do you know if Maliha Sami is still in PIA and if so at what rank? I would've expected to see her as a Captain before or around the same time as Capt. Ayesha Rabia if she had more seniority.

jackson.aviator · Post by **jackson.aviator** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 4:13 am

Abbas Ali wrote:PIA's first woman pilot Maliha Sami here seen as Airbus A310-308 First Officer in 1994

WOW! Four years to progress from Induction to A310.

Abbas Ali · Post by **Abbas Ali** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:42 am

jackson.aviator wrote:
Abbas Ali wrote:PIA's first woman pilot Maliha Sami here seen as Airbus A310-308 First Officer in 1994
WOW! Four years to progress from Induction to A310.

Thank you Jackson for pointing it out.

I've contacted Umar to re-check photo year and he has told me that Maliha's photo as First Officer on A310 flight deck was taken in year 2001, I've corrected photo's caption now.

kamalla wrote:Abbas, do you know if Maliha Sami is still in PIA and if so at what rank? I would've expected to see her as a Captain before or around the same time as Capt. Ayesha Rabia if she had more seniority.

Yes, Maliha still is with PIA.

I think she's ATR Captain now, but I'm not sure about it. I hope somebody else can confirm it.

Abbas

Pfactor · Post by **Pfactor** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 3:24 pm

Capt. Ayesha Rabia is senior to Maliha, Capt. Ayesha is now on Boeing 737, and about to undergo her supervision flying she has already commanded Fokker F-27.

Maliha is already doing her under supervision on ATR. Capt. Ayesha was inducted in PIA in 1980, but was dropped as cadet pilot after the wheels up landing of B-747 at Islamabad. Then Chairman Mr. Daud Potta dropped her saying if men are doing this then what will woman do. She stayed with PIA but served under different capacity, after 1989 when Benazir came to power Ayesha and Maliha together pushed for women pilots and got in (writing as told me to by Capt. Ayesha herself).

Before coming in to PIA Maliha was flying AP-CAA in CAA. I also had the pleasure of meeting Shukriya Khanum when she came to gave her flight check. A very lively lady and a through professional. i asked her myself and she told me that she never flew as pilot in PIA (but it was her dream to fly for PIA, but at that time PIA was not taking in girls as pilots) though she did teach at the ground school in PTC (not sure of the subjects) If i remember correctly she hold an ATPL.

jackson.aviator · Post by **jackson.aviator** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:01 pm

Great story.

kamalla · Post by **kamalla** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:09 am

Thanks for the info Abbas and Pfactor.

Pfactor wrote: Maliha is already doing her under supervision on ATR.

Just curious as to what "under supervision" means.... does this mean she is already an ATR Captain or is she training to be an ATR Captain?

Adnaan786 · Post by **Adnaan786** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 9:40 am

Kamalla, I think under-supervision means she is sitting in the left-hand seat of the ATR but with a Training Captain in the right-hand seat (acting as an FO) or with a Training Captain observing.

Pfactor, so Ms Khanum had a flight check with PIA but she didn't get accepted?