Being a first is a thing of pride as we are sure Admira Antonio now knows.
History was made on June 16, 2018 when Admira Antonio was named captain of an Embraer 145 (a 50-passenger jet) belonging to a subsidiary of Mozambique Airlines (LAM), the national aviation company.
With this appointment, Antonio became the first woman in Mozambican history to be the captain of an aircraft.
News of her feat, announced by LAM, has since gone viral. Antonio’s appointment isithe culmination of years of hardwork, training and perseverace.
Her career with LAM started in 2013. But first, she accumulated 35 hours of flying time at South African flight school, Lanseria Flight Center in 2011.
In 2012, she was part of a group of MEX cadets who took part in a course for private pilots in which she added another 26 hours of flying experience. This was folowed by additional training at “43 Air School” of the South African Flight Training Academy, obtaining a professional pilot’s license. In January 2013, she traveled to France where she specialized in piloting Embraer-145 aircraft as a co-pilot.
According to Mozambique Airlines, Admira Antonio demonstrated an excellent professional performance and received the best ratings from the captains with whom she flew. When she undertook more than 3,500 flying hours, she applied to become a captain, which she was granted.