**How Nigeria’s Adeola Sowemimo Made History At Qatar Airways Flying The Boeing 787**
Captain Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo is the first female Boeing 787 pilot in Nigeria, who began flying long-haul routes for Qatar Airways.
The 34-year-old was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. Due to religious disputes, she attended multiple schools in both Kaduna and Ibadan.
Despite these challenges, Sowemimo persevered and graduated from Kaduna’s First Baptist Model High School in 2007. She began a pre-degree program at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Oyo State after graduating from secondary school.
Intrigued by flying, she enrolled in the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria. She went to Sunrise Flying Inc. in Florida, USA, for additional training after completing her aviation training from 2009 to 2010.
Sowemimo began her aviation career in Nigeria after completing her pilot training. She started working for Medview Airlines in Lagos as a First Officer on Boeing 737 planes.
She soon got promoted to pilot the Boeing 767-300ER because of her competence. Her greatest achievement, however, came in 2018 when she became the first Nigerian woman to pilot a Boeing 787 Dreamliner after joining Qatar Airways.
This state-of-the-art aircraft can travel up to Mach 0.85, or around 1,024 km/h. Sowemimo began operating this amazing aircraft, transporting 250 passengers around the globe.
Her prowess also allowed her to fly the Boeing 767 over the Atlantic, and in 2020, she began flying for Qatar Airways on the Lagos-to-Abuja route.
In 2020 when Qatar Air operated its first flight to Abuja, Nigeria, Sowemimo was in the right seat assisting Captain Khan Sameer Ali.
Abike Dabiri, the Director-General, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, celebrated the achievement on Twitter, saying: “Today Qatar Air operated its inaugural flight to Abuja, Nigeria. And our own Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo was on the right seat as she assisted Captain Khan Sameer Ali. Adeola is the first Nigerian female Boeing 787 Pilot and the first Nigerian female Pilot to fly for Qatar Airways.”
Sowemimo is not only a successful pilot but also a wife and mother. She ensures that her family life and job are thriving by striking a balance between them.
Africa got its first female pilot in 1964 but the great achievement was not enough to encourage other women to get into aviation. Over the years, women were only training as flight attendants which seemed to be the most attractive work for them within the aviation sector. Piloting was left for men until women started gaining an interest in the field to create diversity and have their dreams come true.
Sowemimo is among a group of notable African women pilots, such as Asli Hassan Abade, the first female pilot from Somalia, and Chinyere Kalu, the first female commercial pilot from Nigeria.
