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Photo: Rádio Moçambique
Mozambican Transport Minister Carlos Mesquita on Monday said that Admira Antonio, the first captain of a Mozambican commercial aircraft, serves as an inspiration to women intending to take up a career in civil aviation.
Speaking at an award ceremony in Maputo for Captain Admira Antonio, the Minister said praise should be extended to all women who, in various ways, have made their contribution to the country’s development.
According to Mesquita, “Admira Antonio believed in her abilities and competence and stood shoulder to shoulder with her colleagues. Today, she reaps the fruit of her dedication”.
The Minister stressed that the country needs to continue to encourage women to pursue an interest in aeronautics. He pointed out, “statistics show that the lack of participation of women in this field is a huge challenge. Of 147 professional pilots, only six per cent are women. The situation is even more worrying in maintenance where out of 74 aircraft maintenance engineers only three per cent are women”.
However, he noted that things are more encouraging with aeronautical operations officers, where women make up 36 per cent of the country’s 28 officers.
For the Minister, it is necessary to improve the situation. He stressed, “our presence at this ceremony should be interpreted as a recognition of the women who have overcome preconceptions and built brilliant careers in civil aviation”.
Admira Antonio told the ceremony of her happiness at becoming a captain which was achieved through a great deal of effort.
To qualify as a commercial airline pilot, she had to gain over 3,500 hours of flying time. To do this, she underwent training at the South African academy 43 Air School, and flight simulation with the SIM Aviation Group.
Antonio began her journey in 2011 when she attended her first aviation course at the Lanseria Flight Centre in Johannesburg where she gained her first 35 hours of flying time. A year later, she was one of a group of MEX cadets who took part in a course to train as private pilots during which she added another 26 hours of flying experience. In January 2013 she went to France where she specialised in flying Embraer 145 aircraft as a co-pilot.
Antonio will captain an Embraer 145 aircraft belonging to MEX – Mocambique Expresso, a subsidiary of the national flag carrier Mozambique Airlines (LAM).
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