China has reportedly appointed its first female pilot to serve as a captain on the country’s home-grown C919 passenger jet.
Yu Yue, a former Boeing 737 pilot with China Southern Airlines, moved to the C919 programme earlier this year after intensive training. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Yu has maintained a “zero-error” record since joining the airline in 2015.
Yu trained at the Civil Aviation Flight University of China and was selected as part of a group of senior pilots transitioning from Boeing and Airbus aircraft to the C919.
The C919 is a narrow-body commercial aircraft built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). It is designed to serve short- and medium-haul routes and is seen as China’s alternative to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
The jet entered domestic service in May 2023. China’s three major state-owned airlines China Southern, Air China and China Eastern are adding more C919 aircraft to their fleets and retraining pilots as deliveries increase, the SCMP said.
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‘I did not hesitate’
Yu, on switching to the C919, told a Comac publication, quoted by the SCMP, that she agreed immediately when asked if she would transfer to the C919. “When I was approached to gauge my willingness to transition, I did not hesitate for even a second,” she said.
She completed months of training at a Comac centre in Shanghai, including classroom work and full-flight simulator sessions to prepare for emergencies such as engine problems and bad weather. Yu said she first became interested in flying as a child growing up near Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
She also spoke about the challenges faced by women in aviation. “Female pilots usually have to juggle pursuing a professional career and family commitments like marriage and raising children,” she said. “If some women can still excel against these challenges, they are probably the toughest women.”
Yu told the SCMP she had noticed more women joining the industry as pilots, engineers and instructors.
“When I was admitted into the flight college in 2011, there were very few female cadets,” she said. “But more young women have since joined this male-dominated sector.”
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What is the C919?
- The C919 is a Chinese-made passenger aircraft.
- It is built by Comac, a state-backed aircraft manufacturer.
- It is designed for short- and medium-distance flights.
- It competes with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
- It is mainly used inside China for now, though airlines plan to expand routes.
Figures cited in the SCMP show that China had 941 female commercial and private pilots in 2024, although women still make up less than 2 per cent of all pilots in the country.
In comparison, data from the US Federal Aviation Administration shows that women accounted for around 9 per cent of certified pilots in the United States in 2023.
The report also noted that women are taking senior roles in aircraft development. The C929 a wide-body jet now in development at Comac has a female lead designer, Zhao Chunling, who also worked on the C919.
