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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Natalie Wilson

‘You can’t be what you can’t see’: The female pilots flying the flag for women in aviation

According to the CAA, 372 commercial pilot licences were issued to UK women in 2025 - (Getty Images)

In 1972, trailblazing British pilot Yvonne Pope Sintes took off for Glasgow with Dan Air as the UK’s first female commercial airline captain.

Over 54 years later, carriers are campaigning for women to fill their seats in the cockpit and narrow the pilot gender gap.

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