An aviation school in Saudi is accepting female applicants one month after the ban on women driving was lifted
18 July 2018
| Last updated on 18 July 2018
Women in Saudi Arabia are not only taking to the roads, but also to the skies!
Nearly a month after the ban on women driving was lifted, an aviation academy in Saudi Arabia announced that they will soon be accepting female applicants to become pilots. Oxford Aviation Academy, a leading trainer and crew recruiter, has already received hundreds of applications from women who hope to start lessons soon. The academy has a new branch that recently opened up in the eastern city of Dammam and will be ready to start classes in September this year.
See also: Lift on Driving Ban for Saudi Women Brings New Job Opportunities
The academy is part of a $300-million project that includes a school for aircraft maintenance and an international centre for flight simulators at the King Fahad International Airport.
Othman Al Moutairy, the executive director said that students will receive three years of academic and practical training.
This will be the first academy of its kind in the Kingdom that who trains both men and women of Saudi and non-Saudi origin.
One of the applicants, Dalal Yashar, told the Saudi Gazette: “People used to travel abroad (to study aviation), which was difficult for women more than men. We are no longer living in the era where women were allowed (to work) in limited arenas. All avenues are now opened for women. If you have the appetite, you have the ability.”
See also: History is Made as Women Start Driving in Saudi Arabia
Women were banned from driving for a number of years in Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom is a Muslim country that use to have many social restrictions. These are however busy changing thanks to the help of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Vision 2030 for the country. On June 24th, 2018 the ban was lifted on women driving in the Kingdom.
