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| Neema Swai | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990 (age 33–34) Tanzania |
| Alma mater | Blue Chip Flying Academy (Private Pilot License) Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (Commercial Pilot Licence) |
| Occupation | Commercial Pilot |
| Years active | 2009 — present |
| Title | Captain of Boeing 767F Freighter |
| Spouse | Captain Khamis Ahmed (ACTL) |
Airline Captain Neema Swai, is a professional pilot in Tanzania. She was the first female in Tanzania to become certified as a Captain of the Boeing 767-300F "freighter" aircraft. She flies for Air Tanzania, the national airline of Tanzania.
Early life and education
She was born in circa 1990 to Tanzanian parents. She is the last-born in a family of three siblings. Her mother operated a pharmacy at Kilimanjaro International Airport and Neema used to help out at the pharmacy when she was young. While there, she observed many female pilots and that picked her interest. After primary school in Tanzania, she completed high school in neighboring Uganda, taking Physics, Economics, Geography and Mathematics.
With support from her parents, she enrolled in the Blue Chip Flying Academy in Pretoria, South Africa obtaining both the Private Pilot License in three months at age 19. She obtained the Commercial Pilot Licence, after another six months. In her training class in calendar year 2009 there were only two black students and she was the only female student. On returning to Tanzania, she had to undergo further examination so that the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority would certify her credentials.
Career
She was employed by a Tanzanian airline, flying ATR72-500, starting circa 2000. During the next 14 years she has clocked over 8,700 flight hours.
As of December 2024 she flies as Captain on the B767-300F cargo equipment owned and operated by Air Tanzania Company Limited (ACTL). As of then, she was the only female captain on that equipment class and one of only ten female pilots at that airline. She is well regarded in Tanzania and is on the list of most admired women in the country in 2024.
Personal
She is married to Captain Khamis Ahmed who also is employed by Air Tanzania. She is the mother to one child.
See also
References
- ^ Alex Nelson Malanga (9 June 2023). "The lofty dreams of Tanzania's first cargo plane female pilot". The Citizen (Tanzania). Dar es Salaam. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Sauli Giliard (8 July 2023). "Captain in the air, Mama on the ground". Tanzania Daily News. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Mildred Europa Taylor (22 June 2023). "Meet Tanzania's Neema Swai, who just made history flying the first cargo-only aircraft in Africa". Face2face Africa. New York City. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- Daniel Mjema (8 March 2024). "Meet the women inspiring others to achieve greatness". The Citizen (Tanzania). Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Retrieved 27 December 2024.