Honolulu (lost) – Hawaiian Airlines made its maiden flight Wednesday with mother and daughter pilots.
Her mother, Captain Camellia Zarka, and her daughter, First Officer Maria Zarka, flew over the Pacific Ocean. The two pilots took off with a Boeing 717 from the neighboring islands towards Honolulu.
According to Hawaiian Airlines, Betty was named co-pilot of a Boeing 717 earlier this year. Her mother, a Boeing 717 captain who earned her pilot’s license in 1999, was the first Tongan woman to fly a commercial airline.
Maria Jarka said: “It was like a dream come true. I’ve been very lucky in my aviation career so far, but being able to fly to the right place with my mom has been an amazing experience of a lifetime. “Everyone always comes to me and tells me how wonderful it is to fly with my mother, and today I have experienced it firsthand.”
Camelia Zarka, who started out as a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines, said flying with Maria has been a dream since her daughter became interested in aviation as a child.
The racing duo of mother and daughter encourages other girls to pursue their dreams.
according to the pilot institute, the number of female pilots has increased every year since 2017. Yet, in 2021, there were only 64,979 female pilots, or 9.02% of the total.
“While other sectors, such as the medical sector or law enforcement, have seen significant improvements in female representation, aviation is still struggling,” the Pilot Institute said. “It will take a collaborative effort from communities, businesses, training centers and individuals to help more women succeed in aviation.”
Currently, the airline industry as a whole is struggling with a shortage of pilots leading to cancellations and fewer flights worldwide.
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