In a first, Saudi Airline to recruit women as co-pilots to encourage empowerment

In a bid to empower women, Riyadh-based carrier Flynas will be recruiting Saudi women as co-pilots and flight attendants for the first time.

"Flynas is keen to empower Saudi women to play an important role in the kingdom's transformation," ANI quoted the carrier as it opened its call for women applications.

The Riyadh-based airline said it will be the first among Saudi carriers to recruit women in senior positions, reports said.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The move aims to enable Saudi women to have a greater role in supporting the kingdom’s economy, Chief Executive Officer Bandar Almohanna said in a statement.

Women are not legally barred from working in the aviation sector, but jobs as flight attendants with Saudi carriers have largely been held by female foreign workers from countries such as thePhilippines.

A spokesman for the airline further revealed that nearly 1,000 Saudi women have applied for the positions, indicating that Islamic kingdom's relaxation on gender restrictions.

The recruitment drive comes just days after Flyadeal, another low-cost Saudi carrier, began posting jobs for Saudi women to work as flight attendants.

Saudi Arabia in June ended a longstanding ban on women driving cars as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to improve women's participation in the workforce.