- With Captain Koki leading the cockpit and a female First Officer by her side, the journey marked a major milestone in both aviation and gender equality. As the Dreamliner took off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, it carried with it more than passengers, it carried a message: women belong at the top, even 38,000 feet in the sky.
Imagine a Flight Operated by Women Both Captain and First Officer. Now picture that flight soaring across continents, connecting Africa to Europe, with two women in full command of a modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
That is exactly what happened on July 2, 2025, when Captain Irene Koki Mutungi, Africa’s first female Dreamliner captain, made history once again this time at the helm of Kenya Airways’ inaugural direct flight from Nairobi to London Gatwick.
With Captain Koki leading the cockpit and a female First Officer by her side, the journey marked a major milestone in both aviation and gender equality. As the Dreamliner took off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, it carried with it more than passengers, it carried a message: women belong at the top, even 38,000 feet in the sky.
Captain Irene Koki Mutungi stands out as a pioneer. Born in 1976 in Nairobi, Kenya, her love for planes began at age five, when her pilot father took her into the cockpit. She promised herself that one day she would fly too.
At 17, she enrolled at the Kenya School of Flying at Wilson Airport and earned her private pilot’s license. Driven by a dream, she traveled to Oklahoma City in the USA to get her commercial pilot’s license.
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In 1995, she returned to Kenya and joined Kenya Airways as their first-ever female pilot—a milestone that made history. For six years, she was the only woman on the flight deck.
In 2004, she broke another barrier by becoming the first African woman to captain a commercial aircraft—the Boeing 737. Later, she trained on the 767, and in 2014, made aviation history again as the first African female captain of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Kenya Airways announced this achievement on April 15, 2014.
Beyond her flights, she is a leading mentor, especially for young women. A proud mother of a son, she mentors through schools and aviation clubs, calling for scholarships and support to encourage women in aviation.
Her awards include being named one of Africa’s “20 Youngest Power Women” by Forbes in 2014, and being inducted into the Aviators of Africa Hall of Fame in October 2022.
As Captain Koki continues to lead long-haul flights for KQ, she is also helping to shape the next generation.
Through mentorship, public speaking, and her visible leadership, she is proving to young women everywhere that the sky is not the limit—it is just the beginning.
