Pretoria: 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.
According to South African Government News Agency, 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.
Creecy highlighted the growing demand for skilled professionals as African aviation expands, emphasizing the need to make employment and economic opportunities accessible to women. She noted the importance of integrating women into skills pipelines, training opportunities, recruitment strategies, and leadership pathways.
The Minister also shared that women now account for more than a quarter of South Africa's student pilot population, indicating a shift in the aviation field's gender dynamics. The challenge now is to ensure that women complete their training, secure employment, and progress into leadership roles.
Creecy pointed out the Department of Transport's commitment to gender equality, awarding 317 of 460 contracts in the 2025/2026 financial year to women-owned enterprises, totaling R312.3 million. Additionally, SACAA spent over R54 million on goods and services from women-owned Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
Airports Company South Africa empowered women-owned SMMEs by contracting 118 black women-owned businesses, representing 21% of the R695 billion Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) spend. These investments are crucial for achieving the Seventh Administration's aviation industry targets by 2029.
South Africa is working towards gender equality by embedding education, workforce planning, leadership development, and long-term skills strategies. SACAA and the Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) have programmes to support female learners entering various aviation professions.
In the 2024/25 financial year, the Airports Company of South Africa Aviation Academy trained over 6,400 aviation professionals, including more than 2,500 women. Additionally, 44% of bursaries went to young women for studies in Aeronautical Engineering, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, and Pilot Training.
ATNS has several bursaries and trainee programmes to secure the future air traffic services pipeline, with women comprising 51% of the Air Traffic Service staff component. South African Airways (SAA) also remains committed to gender transformation, with women making up 66.7% of SAA's cabin crew and 18.7% of its pilot corps.
The figures reflect SAA's commitment to promoting gender parity, with women constituting 50.2% of critical operational roles in cabin crew and pilot positions. These achievements demonstrate ongoing efforts to advance women's participation and advancement in aviation professions.