Meet Adeola Sowemimo, the First Nigerian Woman to Fly the Boeing 787 

Captain Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo has had outstanding achievement in a normally male-dominated field.

She is Nigeria’s first female Boeing 787 pilot, flying long-haul flights for Qatar Airways. Her experience demonstrates that with hard effort, attention, and the correct support, anyone, regardless of gender, can achieve tremendous success.

Women all throughout the world are taking on roles that were formerly thought to be “for men only.” Aviation, too, is undergoing this transformation, and Captain Adeola exemplifies how women may achieve in male-dominated fields.

Captain Adeola is only 31 years old and already making history. She is the first Nigerian woman to fly a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Qatar Airways.

This advanced aircraft can reach speeds of Mach 0.85, or around 1,024 kilometres per hour. Adeola pilots this remarkable machine, which safely transports 250 passengers around the world.

Her route to becoming a Dreamliner pilot was not easy. Adeola’s story is about determination, strength, and a passion for flight.

Adeola was born October 16, 1990, in Kaduna, Nigeria. Due to problems such as religious disputes, she attended multiple schools in Kaduna and Ibadan. Despite these challenges, Adeola persevered and graduated from Kaduna’s First Baptist Model High School in 2007.

After finishing high school, she enrolled in a pre-degree program at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Oyo State.

But her desire to fly took over, and she enrolled in the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria. She finished her aviation training in 2009 and 2010 before travelling to Florida, USA, for additional training at Sunrise Aviation Inc.

Her abilities rapidly earned her a promotion to pilot the Boeing 767-300ER. Her biggest milestone, however, occurred in 2018, when she became the first Nigerian woman to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Qatar Airways.

Her expertise has taken her on transatlantic flights with the Boeing 767, and in 2020, she began flying the Lagos-to-Abuja route for Qatar Airways. Adeola now joins the ranks of pioneering African female pilots, including Nigeria’s first female commercial pilot, Chinyere Kalu, and Somalia’s first female aviator, Asli Hassan Abade.

Captain Adeola is not only a successful pilot, but also a wife and mother. She married Seun Funmi Olamilekan Sowemimo on April 22, 2017, and they have a family.

Captain Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo isn’t merely a pilot. She represents hope, determination, and the belief that women can accomplish anything if they set their minds to it. Her tale serves as an example for young African girls, demonstrating that with perseverance, they, too, can achieve their aspirations.

Adeola’s path demonstrates how hard effort and determination may help break down barriers, no matter how high. She demonstrates that nothing is impossible, and her tale will continue to inspire people for years to come.