Hanadi Zakaria al-Hindi explained

Hanadi Zakaria al-Hindi Arabic: هنادي زكريا الهندي
Occupation:	Aviator

Hanadi Zakaria al-Hindi (Arabic: هنادي زكريا الهندي) is the first Saudi woman to become a pilot.

Biography

She was born in Mecca in September 1978. She passed her final exams at the Middle East Academy for Commercial Aviation in Amman, Jordan on 15 June 2005.^[1] She has a ten-year contract with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company^{[2] [3]} as a pilot of his private jet, the Kingdom.

Recognitions

Al-Waleed, who is considered a proponent for female emancipation in the Saudi world, financed her training and stated on her graduation that he is "in full support of Saudi ladies working in all fields". Al-Hindi became certified to fly within Saudi Arabia in 2014.^[4]

Reports highlighted the irony that a Saudi woman is allowed to pilot an aeroplane but may not drive a car (although this has changed in 2017^[5]).^{[2] [3]} Al-Hindi, however, does not see this as a contradiction.^[2]

Notes and References

1. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=65470&d=16&m=6&y=2005&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom First Saudi Female Pilot Graduates
2. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20041124031931/http://arabnews.com/?page=9&section=0&article=54958&d=24&m=11&y=2004 . November 24, 2004 . First Saudi Female Pilot Lands Job With Kingdom Holding . 24 November 2004.
3. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0501/19/i_ins.01.html CNN Insight
4. Web site: Saudi Arabia: First woman to get pilot license. 23 April 2014. 24 April 2017. www.bbc.com.
5. Web site: Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive for first time. September 26, 2017. www.abc.net.au.