Captain Widad Shuja’a… First Female Syrian pilot

“Captain Widad Shuja welcomes you aboard the Boeing 727, and wishes you a happy and safe journey.“  That was the nice delicate female voice coming out of the speakers’ on-board Syrian Airlines plane.

Some passengers felt a sense of pride that a girl from their country was the pilot of a jet plane. Whereas, others were worried about a woman’s aptitude to sit in a man’s seat. A feeling that accompanied them until the plane landing at Paris Orly Airport.

Captain Widad Shuja’a, a young woman from Syria, has joined the group of Arab girls who have entered this field aptly, as they lead several models of modern jet aircraft on various international routes.

Widad Shuja’a is the only Syrian woman holding the title of pilot. Her passion for flying dates back to childhood.  After joining the Faculty of Arts, English Department at Damascus University, she traveled to the United States to study aviation. Then she returned home to join her male co-workers at the Syrian Aviation Establishment.

Wadad is the daughter of Captain Adnan Shuja’a, and sister of Captain Anwar Shuja’a; born in 1979. She is married and a mother to two sons.

her hobbies are horse riding, and has an unusual and distinctive relationship with the sky and stars.

LARA.KH