PRETORIA - The flight deck of aviation is slowly shedding its "boys' club" image as more women take to the skies.
At the National Aviation Gender Summit in Pretoria, officials revealed a promising liftoff.
Women now make up just over 20 percent of the country’s licensed aviation professionals, a solid jump from the 5,000 recorded just two years ago.
“Today in the aviation sector, which has been a sector dominated by males, there are over 6,000 registered aviation professionals, which amounts to 20 percent of the sector," said Transport Minister Barbara Creecy.
Women now make up more than a quarter of the student pilot population, suggesting the pipeline is growing.
The challenge is making sure they finish their training, find jobs and progress through the ranks.
"You can never build a pipeline of aviation professionals if you neglect women," said SACAA director Poppy Khoza.
"The cockpit as you know, sees no gender. Pilots don’t know any danger.
"We create a culture and space for them to thrive.”
For aspiring aviators, the cost of entering the industry can be just as daunting as breaking through its traditionally male-dominated culture.
Government says it’s investing in that pipeline.
Last year, 44 percent of ACSA Aviation Academy bursaries went to young women, while more than 70 percent of the Civil Aviation Authority's current interns are women.
The hope is that more of these women launch flying careers and advance into senior aviation roles.
- eNCA's Naomi Kobbie reports.