Expert: D. Norkus - 10/20/2011

Question
I'm a Muslim female who adheres to a modest dress code, including a headscarf. I usually wear long coats with trousers or wear long skirts instead.

I'm aware of a few hijabi pilots who work for airlines based in Muslim /Arab countries, but I also want to know about the rest of the world.

Will an airline refrain from hiring me if I insist on wearing a headscarf with my uniform, and a long skirt instead of a trouser? Or they won't care about that as long as I look professional and have the skills?

Also, I want to know what are the minimum requirements for airlines to hire pilots.

Thanks in advance.

Bouchra

Answer
Bouchra

Outside of Muslim/Arab countries it would be a rare sight indeed to see a female pilot with a headscarf. It is often a rare sight for many passengers to see a female pilot at all much less one that can be identified as Muslim. Even in the United States, with the largest pilot population in the world, women only make up 6% of all pilots and less than 3% of commercial or airline pilots.

The biggest concern with the head wear would be the interference with the oxygen mask in the event of a rapid depressurization or smoke in the cockpit. It is for that reason that many airlines prohibit men from wearing a beard as it won't seal as well over facial hair. Most modern jets now have smoke goggles integrated with the O2 masks, so it is critical to get a good seal for vision as well as breathing. Depending on the airline, a Hijabi could clearly be seen as an impediment to safety in the event of an emergency. In a serious rapid depressurization event, it could easily be blown up onto your face hindering your vision and creating a delay to don a mask when seconds count. (At 40,000 you have only about 15 to 20 seconds to get your mask on before you will pass out.) This potential to compromise the safety of the pilot/wearer, and thus the passengers, is the overwhelming concern. Companies in the USA cannot discriminate in hiring based on religion but if that person cannot adhere to the safety regulations of the airline because of a religion (beard, hijab or anything else) I don't see how they can perform the job with the scope of company mandate. While some carriers have made accommodations for headwear (or beards) based on religion others will not do so as they fear it is compromising safety. The pilot must adjust, not the airline. Therefore as a new hire one could not "insist" on wearing something that is not unapproved by the airline.

There are a few carriers that have made the news with their Muslim aviatrixes (Hanadi Zakariya Hindi, Yasmeen Muhammad Yusuf Al-Maimani, Aysha Al Hamli, Salma Al Baloushi) but all women wear pants as far as I can tell and most do not work for airlines based outside the Arab world.

However Fatima Jakoet flies for South African Airways-
http://career.worklifegroup.com/career-stories/my-journey-fatima-jakoet-55.html
More photos of Fatima at work-
http://hijabitopia.blogspot.com/2011/06/super-hijabi-fatima-jakoet.html

In the United States, seeing special headwear on cockpit crew it is almost unheard of. I have never seen it on a man and the only example I know about is a female with American Eagle Airlines, Arpinder Kaur, who is a Sikh and made headlines a few years ago when she was hired. Her headwear is potentially 'less intrusive' from a safety standpoint compared to a hijab.

http://sikhswim.com/2008/08/15/arpinder-kaur-american-airlines-pilot/

Other relevant news articles:

Interview With Rose Hamid: Flight Attendant, Hijab Wearer -
http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-interviews/interview-with-rose-hamid-the

Saudi Aviation School Considers Female Trainees
http://www.thefreshoutlook.com/?p=841

First Emirati woman rises to First Officer (Salma Al Baloushi)
http://www.muslimwomennews.com/n.php?nid=6402

http://www.albawaba.com/news/muslim-female-pilot-creates-major-%E2%80%9Dturbulen
http://www.tailwheelsetc.com/saudi_woman_ascends_to_heights.html
http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=65608&d=19&m=6&y=2005

Regarding the minimum qualifications for airlines to hire a pilot, that varies greatly by the airline and country. You would have to be very specific. Also, the minimum requirements to apply may be no where near the actual "competitive requirements" are to get hired. The average experience of an airlines new hires could be much, much greater than their minimums to apply. Especially at a prestigious airline.  

As I am an American airline pilot, I can only comment on airline hiring here in the USA. The regional feeder airlines will soon require 1,500 hours and an Airline Transport Pilot certificate by law in Aug 2013, up from the current minimums of a few hundred hours if you attended the right flight program. The legacy or major airlines in this country require much more. Competitive minimums could easily be 5,000 hours of more. You can find out more about hiring requirements and airline cadet programs in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe in the "wannabes" forum at http://www.pprune.org

Like PPRUNE, this link is more for Asian and non-American flying careers (because our hiring environment is very different from abroad), so it may be of interest- http://www.askcaptainlim.com/

You can also find airline information and minimum hiring requirements by airline via this website- http://www.pilotcareercentre.com/

Hope this helps,
Dorothy