ETHIOPIA: Captain Amsale Gualu And First All-women Ethiopian Airlines Crew

Captain Amsale Gualu

Ethiopian Airlines' first flight with an all-female crew is en route from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to Bangkok, Thailand.

The airline said the historic flight was an "opportunity to inspire young African female students to believe in their dreams".

The ground crew inspecting the plane before take off was also made up of only women.

The pilot, Captain Amsale Gualu said: "This flight shows us that if women get equal opportunities and work hard I'm sure they can achieve whatever they want in all fields including the aviation industry."

Amsale Gualu (born 1977) is an Ethiopian pilot. In 2010 she became the first female captain in the history of Ethiopian Airlines.

Gualu was born in 1977 in Bahir Dar, capital city of Amhara Region. She attended primary school at Asaye School and secondary school at Bole Highschool. She earned a BA from Addis Ababa University in Architecture.

On 2010 Gualu become the first Ethiopian female captain by flying an Ethiopian Airlines Bombardier from Addis Ababa to Gondar. Gualu graduated in 2002 from Ethiopian Airlines as the number six female pilot and worked for eight years before earning her captain title on 2010.

Captain Amsale Gualu with colleagues

-BA Architecture, Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Technology, Southern
-Pilot, Ethiopian Airlines 2002
-Captain, Ethiopian Airlines 2010

Gualu is married and has three children.

Amsale Gualu is the first female pilot to achieve the rank of captain in the history of Ethiopian Airlines. In a country where few women have dared to enter the highly male-dominated profession of piloting, Amsale was able to complete the extensive training requirements and pass through a series of rigorous checks to become the first woman Pilot-in-Command (Captain) in 2010. Before reaching this position, Amsale worked as a first officer (co-pilot) on various aircraft for seven and half years.

She logged 4475 flight hours as First Officer and since becoming Pilot-in-Command, has logged nearly a thousand flight hours. Amsale has trained and worked on such aircraft as Fokker-50, Q-400, Boeing 757 and 767. There have been a few other women who joined the Ethiopian Airlines Pilot Training School before, after or along with Amsale; but she has been the first one to finish the entire process culminating in her achieving the rank of captain.

Ethiopian Airlines Amsale Gualu popping some champagne

Her inspiring story truly demonstrates that “anything is possible!” for women. Given that Amsale is a wife and the mother of 3 children and bears household responsibilities, her achievement is the more remarkable.Amsale was born in Bahir Dar in 1977 in a middle class family, the oldest of four children. When she was just three years old, her family moved to Addis, where she attended public schools both at elementary and secondary levels. Both of Amsale’s parents were educated and encouraged their children to focus on their education.

Amsale’s childhood dream was to become a pilot. Her father used to take her and her sister as children to the airport to watch airplanes take off and land; that is when she first developed a fascination for flying. By the time she was in high school, Amsale was sure that she wanted to become a pilot. After taking the national entrance examination in 1995, she joined Addis Ababa University in the Faculty of Technology and began studying Architecture.

She was a first year student when she first tried to gain admission to the pilot training program. But, at that point, she was unable to pass the qualifying exam. Rather than being discouraged, she was glad to have had the experience, knowing that failures are inevitable in life and that she would never give up. When she retook the exam four years later, she passed and rushed to start the training right after she graduated. Because of fuel shortages at the time, the training took longer than usual, lasting just over two years.

Though the training was challenging, she completed it successfully, graduating in November 2002. After eight years of service and several simulator-based evaluations, she achieved the rank of Captain on October 14, 2010. Amsale is the sixth female pilot in Ethiopian aviation history, following in the footsteps of others like Mulumebet Emiru, Asegedech Assefa, Sofia Gezahegn, Hanna Wolde, and Elleni Tadesse. But none of her female predecessors in the field completed all of the training programs and necessary requirements or attempted to pass through the rigorous checks required to become Captain, the highest position in the profession.

Captain Amsale Gualu

Though being the first female Captain is an historic achievement, Amsale’s pride lies rather in accomplishing her childhood dream and being able to reach the highest position in the profession. Her motivation has always been to realize her dream and succeed in her chosen profession; it would not have mattered to her if she were not the first female captain.

Amsale’s parents have been her primary role models and she believes they contributed greatly to her success today. They encouraged her to pursue her education and raised all their children telling them anything was possible. In a family of three daughters and one son, gender was never an issue; all were treated equally. Amsale believes that the environment we live in shapes who we are and that her own success and achievements were not only the result of her talent and ability, but very much because of the family support she had. She is also grateful for the community she grew up in that encouraged and followed the progress of everyone’s children.

Captain Amsale views what some call obstacles as challenges. She believes that facing challenges is part of the process of growth and a source of strength. Although she acknowledges that she has experienced bias, doubts and negative comments due to her gender, she doesn’t allow such negative attitudes to affect her. She believes that society will change only slowly, but that we each can at least change ourselves. The most difficult challenge she has faced has been the demanding time constraints of her profession that allow her very little time to spend with her children.

Outside her family, Amsale greatly admires Ato Zewdu Bekele, one of the founders of “TESFA GOHE”, a charitable organization to help HIV positive people. Ato Zewdu was a pioneer in revealing to the public that he was HIV positive at a time when HIV positive status carried tremendous stigma. He was able to create awareness about the disease and helped many HIV positive people accept the truth of their condition and live with it in peace. Amsale admires him because he contributed so much to save the lives of many.

Capitan Amsale herself gives back to society by sharing the story of her success with high school students, particularly young female students. She attends events in Addis Ababa and in other regions at the request of various non-governmental organizations and shares her life story and experiences, to help encourage and inspire the next generation to believe in their dreams.

In the future, Amsale hopes to learn to fly aircraft that she has not yet had the opportunity to pilot, including the Boeing 777 and the 787. She plans to continue living her childhood dream as a pilot. In her personal life, she wants to see her children successful and hopes to provide them with the best education and the kind of foundation that will enable them to be successful. Her dream for Ethiopia is to see the country free of poverty, where people live in harmony and where equal opportunities are available to men and women regardless of gender!

Captain Amsale’s advice to girls and young women growing up in Ethiopia today:

Always know your priorities in life; when you are young, education should be your priority!
Be determined and dedicated and never give up on your dreams.
Identify your interests and conquer your chosen profession even if it is male-dominated!