Captain Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo has made history as Nigeria’s first female pilot to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, breaking barriers in the aviation industry.
She currently operates long-haul flights for Qatar Airways, marking a significant milestone in her career.
Born in Kaduna, Nigeria, Sowemimo’s early education was shaped by challenges, including religious conflicts that led her to attend multiple schools in Kaduna and Ibadan.
Despite these obstacles, she remained determined and graduated from First Baptist Model High School, Kaduna, in 2007. She later enrolled in a pre-degree program at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Oyo State, before pursuing her passion for aviation.
Her journey into aviation began at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, where she completed her initial training.
Seeking further expertise, she moved to the United States to train at Sunrise Aviation in Florida between 2009 and 2010.
Upon returning to Nigeria, Sowemimo launched her career as a First Officer with Medview Airlines, flying Boeing 737 aircraft.
Her exceptional skills soon earned her a promotion to pilot the Boeing 767-300ER. However, her greatest achievement came in 2018 when she became the first Nigerian woman to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after joining Qatar Airways.
The Boeing 787, known for its advanced technology and high-speed capacity of up to Mach 0.85 (approximately 1,024 km/h), allowed Sowemimo to transport hundreds of passengers worldwide.
Her expertise also enabled her to fly the Boeing 767 across the Atlantic before she officially began operating Qatar Airways flights on the Lagos-to-Abuja route in 2020.
When Qatar Airways launched its first-ever flight to Abuja that same year, Sowemimo played a significant role as she assisted Captain Khan Sameer Ali in the cockpit.
The achievement was widely celebrated, with Abike Dabiri, Director-General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, recognizing her accomplishment on social media.
Beyond her remarkable aviation career, Sowemimo is also a dedicated wife and mother, successfully balancing her personal and professional life.
Her achievements highlight the growing presence of women in aviation, an industry traditionally dominated by men.
While Africa’s first female pilot took to the skies in 1964, the field remained largely male-dominated for decades, with women mostly taking up roles as flight attendants.
However, pioneers like Sowemimo, alongside other trailblazing African female pilots such as Asli Hassan Abade of Somalia and Chinyere Kalu of Nigeria, continue to pave the way for more women to break into the industry and achieve their dreams.
