Yolanda Kaunda
Malawi's first female aircraft captain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Biography
Kaunda was born in Lilongwe in 1987 and from the age of six she wanted to become a pilot.[1] She completed her secondary education at Kamuzu Academy in Kasungu in 2005, then went to South Africa's Progress Flight Academy.[1]
In 2016, Kaunda graduated as Malawi's first female aircraft captain.[2] Her first flight as Captain took place on 11 March 2016 at Kamuzu International Airport, in Lilongwe.[3] The first Malawian female pilot was Fellie Mkandawire, who stopped flying before reaching the rank of captain. Kaunda graduated as the second female pilot in Malawian history.[4] She was the only woman in her aviation class of 80 people.[4] She was granted her pilot's license in 2009.[1]
For International Women's Day in March 2017, Kaunda captained the first all-women aircraft flight for Malawian Airlines.[5] They flew from Blantyre to Dar es Salaam.[5]