Saudi airline hails first flight with all-female crew

RIYADH: An airline in Saudi Arabia has completed the country’s first flight with an all-female crew, officials said Saturday, framing it as a milestone for women’s empowerment in the conservative kingdom.

The flight operated by flyadeal, budget subsidiary of flag carrier Saudia, was from the capital Riyadh to the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on Thursday, flyadeal spokesman Emad Iskandarani said.

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The “majority” of the seven-member crew were Saudi women, including the first officer, but not the captain, who was a foreign woman, Iskandarani said. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority, which confirmed flyadeal’s announcement Saturday, has touted expanding roles for women in the aviation sector in recent years. In 2019, the authority announced the first flight with a female Saudi co-pilot.