Today we are proudly celebrating Omani Women’s Day, an annual commemorative day that highlights the vision of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, on the crucial role Omani women play in the country’s development. As Oman’s national airline, Oman Air has wholeheartedly supported this vision, employing, training, and empowering women on every level of the organisation. This includes pursuing a proactive policy of recognising talented and qualified women, and providing the appropriate levels of support to assist them in excelling within their chosen careers. Quite simply, we would not be the organisation we are without them.
In light of the theme we quizzed Oman Air Senior First Officer Maha Faraz Masti on what it means to be a female in Oman’s aviation industry today.
1.Do you believe the role of women in aviation is changing? How?
I believe the female role in aviation is changing rapidly. More and more women are joining the aviation industry. And for that I'm talking not only about pilots, but generally in all the other aspects of aviation like engineering, ground handling, managers, and the variety of roles are expanding to include all the diverse majors in aviation.
2.Who is your role model?
I don't have one particular role model. I believe no one is perfect and we all are seeking perfection and excellency in our areas of expertise. However, I give credit to all Omani women for the changes they have made so far in building our beloved country, Oman. I try to walk on the same path as all the great women in Oman who have showed us that we can make a better future standing side by side with our brothers and working with them in all fields and industries.
3.How can we, as organisations, support our female pilots?
The best way for us to support female pilots as an organization is to apply equality among both genders in this field. And in fact this equality already exists in our organization in this matter and I'm very grateful to be a part of it.
4.How can we encourage more young Omani women to become pilots?
By setting a good example as a successful and professional female pilot, I have encouraged a lot of young Omani girls to become pilots. And I see the number increasing every day. I get requests from schools and colleges very frequently to talk about careers as a female pilot and in aviation. It makes me happy to motivate this young generation and enhance their knowledge in the aviation industry, and it makes me very grateful to set an encouraging and motivating example to them.
5.You get to go to great destinations. What’s the first thing you do when you arrive anywhere?
The first thing I do when arriving at any destination is to pray, thanking God for the gift of life, for being so close to these beautiful machines, for my surroundings, people, and everything else.
6.What is your message to Omani women?
Luck alone doesn't make dreams come true. And the price of success is hard work, dedication to the job in hand, and the determination to win. We don't need to prove to anyone what roles women are capable of to engage in manpower. We are already far ahead in a stage where we are required to stand side by side with men to build the beautiful Oman and equally participate in its development and make the future a better place.
