Irene Koki Mutungi

Irene Koki Mutungi (1976) is a professional pilot in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. She was the first female on the African continent to become certified as a Captain of the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft. She flies for Kenya Airways, the national airline of Kenya.

Quotes

• We have to prove ourselves, women, we can do it maybe even better.
  • "2020 WOMEN'S DAY: Three Female Pilots on KQ Flight to New York Share Their Experiences" (March 7, 2020)
• I get to experience the extremely busy airspaces and adverse weather, which is a challenge I like to take on. The airspace in Africa is not as busy and we don’t have extreme weather like hurricanes, snowstorms, etc
• There was also uncertainty of how my male counterparts would accept me with all the stigma surrounding the male-dominated career, as I would have been a first.
• Coincidentally, the passenger who declined to fly with me was on my first Fokker 50 flight from a city in Kenya, Kisumu. He said he was not a guinea pig to be flown by a woman.
• As a mother of boys, I’m all for empowering women, but let’s not forget the next generation of boys.
• I would definitely encourage more young women to consider careers in the aviation industry.
  • https://flightsafety.org/asw-article/qa-with-capt-irene-koki-mutungi-kenya-airways/. Q&A with Capt. Irene Koki Mutungi, Kenya Airways, Flight Safety Foundation, 3 November 2021, Retrieved 04 November 2024.
• I think the one thing that stood out for me when it comes to hurdles is having been the first woman and the only woman in the airline
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z40WXMUE5M4. Executive interview with Capt Irene Koki Mutungi, Africa Airlines Association (AFRAA), 26 October 2021,Retrieved 04 November 2024.