Creecy calls for opportunities in aviation for women
13 August 2026
While South Africa has made gains in advancing women in the aviation sector, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy has called for the under-representation of women in highly specialised professions or technical fields within the sector, to be addressed.
“The latest licensing statistics compiled by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) show that South Africa now has more than 33 500 licensed aviation professionals, almost 6 800 of whom are women,” Creecy said at the 2026 National Aviation Gender Summit on Thursday, in Pretoria.
Two years ago, South Africa had just over 25 800 licensed aviation professionals, with approximately 5 000 women licence holders.
“Women now account for just over 20% of all licensed aviation personnel in South Africa and that is progress we should acknowledge.
“However, these figures also remind us of where our greatest challenges remain, as they are still too low. We continue to see large under-representation of women in highly specialised professions or technical fields within the aviation sector. This needs to change,” Creecy stressed.
“As African aviation grows, so too will the demand for pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers, airport professionals, safety and security specialists, regulators and many other skilled professionals. We must therefore ensure that the employment and economic opportunities created by that growth are made accessible to women,” she said.
Creecy emphasised that South Africa has to be deliberate about ensuring that women are part of the skills pipelines, training opportunities, recruitment strategies and leadership pathways that accompany it.
According to the Minister, the most encouraging statistic is that women now account for more than a quarter of South Africa's student pilot population.
“This means more young women are choosing aviation than ever before. Our challenge is therefore evolving. It is no longer simply about encouraging women to enter the field; it is about ensuring that they complete their training, secure meaningful employment, progress into leadership positions and remain within the profession long enough to become captains, chief engineers, regulators, executives and mentors for the generations that follow,” she said.
Creecy highlighted that the Department of Transport awarded 317 of 460 contracts in the 2025/2026 financial year to women-owned enterprises.
The value of these awards amounted to R312.3 million, representing 96.5% of the total awarded value.
In the 2025-2026 financial year, SACAA spent over R 54 million on goods and services from women-owned Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
“Airports Company South Africa has also used focused procurement to empower women-owned SMMEs. In 2025-2026 alone, 118 black women-owned businesses were contracted, making up 21% of the R695 billion Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) spend.
“These investments are a key component of achieving the Seventh Administration’s targets for the aviation industry - moving 42 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of air freight moving through the Airports Company South Africa network of airports by 2029,” the Minister said.
Creecy added that the aviation sector itself tells a story of both meaningful progress and significant opportunity.
Drive towards greater gender equality in aviation
To balance the scale, South Africa is pursuing gender equality and transformation by embedding education, workforce planning, leadership development and long-term skills strategies.
Creecy said SACAA and the Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) have programmes to support female learners to enter the aviation field through professions such as pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, aeronautical engineers, airport management and development, as well as flight procedure designers, air traffic controllers and related fields.
“During the 2024/25 financial year, the Airports Company of South Africa Aviation Academy (ACSA) trained more than 6 400 aviation professionals, including over 2 500 women.
“In the same financial year, 44% of bursaries went to young women to study programmes such as Aeronautical Engineering, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and Pilot Training, as well as learnerships in Business Administration and Software Development. Over 70% of the current SACAA internship programme intake are women,” the Minister said.
To secure the future air traffic services pipeline, ATNS has several bursaries and trainee programmes.
“In the first quarter of the current financial year, 25 youth were recruited for air traffic services training, with 13, or 52% of them, being women. Currently, five of the six candidates undergoing technician training are women. At a broader level, 51% of the Air Traffic Service staff component at ATNS are women.
“As our flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA) remains committed to advancing gender transformation across the aviation sector and continues to make meaningful progress in creating opportunities for women in traditionally male-dominated professions,” Creecy said.
As of 7 August 2026, women comprise 66.7% of SAA’s cabin crew workforce, with 368 female cabin crew members compared to 184 men.
Within the flight deck community, 54 of SAA’s 289 pilots are women, representing 18.7% of the pilot corps, which is significantly higher than global aviation averages.
“Importantly, when considered together, SAA’s cabin crew and pilot complement reflects near gender parity, with 422 women and 419 men, meaning women constitute 50.2% of these critical operational roles. These figures demonstrate SAA’s ongoing commitment to promoting the participation and advancement of women across aviation professions,” the Minister said. -SAnews.gov.za