At 35, Captain Anaise Kangeyo is one of Rwanda’s few female pilots, commanding the Bombardier Q400, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft for short to medium-haul flights.

Yet her nearly decade-long career didn’t begin with a lifelong dream of flying; it started with an opportunity she never saw coming.

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"I keep saying that my country’s dream made me realise my purpose. When I applied for the scholarship, I knew nothing about aviation. But once I started learning, I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be.”

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Her journey to flight school

Kangeyo’s academic journey began at FAWE Girls’ School, followed by a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Rwanda. By the time she graduated, she realised that engineering was not the career she wanted to pursue.

"I had many dreams growing up, to be a teacher, a doctor, and at one point, I even considered joining the army. By the time I graduated from civil engineering, I knew I didn’t want to be a civil engineer. I was glad I had the degree, but I wasn’t in the right place,” she said.

In 2013, Rwanda introduced a scholarship program to send science graduates to flight school in Ethiopia. Kangeyo applied and was selected.

She began training in January 2014 at the Ethiopian Aviation Academy in Addis Ababa, one of Africa’s largest flight training schools.

The program lasted two years and involved obtaining both a Private Pilot License (PPL), which allows a student to fly small aircraft, and a Commercial Pilot License (CPL), required to join an airline.

"It took two years, but training doesn’t stop. Even now, ten years later, we still do trainings. In aviation, you never stop learning,” Kangeyo said.

Upon completing the program in 2016, she joined RwandAir as part of the scholarship’s automatic transition. Her professional career as a pilot had begun.

Early fears and solo flights

Her first flights were daunting. Kangeyo recalled her first experience at the controls of a small training aircraft.

"I was scared, sweating, and stiff on the controls. It felt like the plane could fall out of the sky but the instructor was next to me, guiding me, and over time, I became more comfortable.”

One of her early challenges came during a solo flight, a milestone where student pilots fly alone for the first time. The student must demonstrate that they can take off, navigate, and land safely on their own.

"It was maybe my fifth solo flight. It was windy, gusty. I came in for landing and hit the nose gear before the main landing gear, which is considered a bad landing. I thought I would call home, tell them I failed, and quit flying. But luckily, I stopped the aircraft safely and taxied off the runway. I didn’t think I would go back, but I did.”

Family support and doubts

Kangeyo’s family was at first unsure about her choice of career. Her parents had hoped she would use her engineering degree to build roads or structures.

"My mother used to fly often and was scared of aviation. When I said I wanted to be a pilot right after engineering, they didn’t support it. They wanted me to be an engineer,” she said.

Over time, her family adjusted and became supportive, and are now her biggest cheerleaders. Once she joined aviation, they understood it better and felt safer knowing she could handle it.

Kangeyo is the first in her family to become a pilot.

Training in a male-dominated field

Being one of the few women in Rwanda’s aviation sector posed challenges.

"Sometimes you look around and don’t see many women. That can make you doubt yourself. When I joined RwandAir, Captain Esther Mbabazi was there. She was the first female pilot in Rwanda, so I could approach her if I had questions or doubts.”

Passengers sometimes reveal their surprise through subtle expressions or murmurs when they see Kangeyo in uniform, and in rare cases, some express hesitation about boarding. A young female pilot can catch them off guard, but her confidence and extensive training ensure she stays composed.

A day in her life

Pilots’ days begin long before the aircraft leaves the ground. Kangeyo describes her routine, which involves reviewing the weather and flight route, preparing for passengers and crew, and ensuring the aircraft is ready.

"Before a flight, I check the weather, review the route, and see who I will be flying with. If I have done the route before, I remind myself of specifics. At the airport, we complete paperwork, do briefings with the other pilots, and ensure the aircraft is ready, including fueling, servicing, and cleaning, before passengers board,” she explained.

The Q400 she pilots handles short to medium flights, though she has flown longer journeys, such as Kigali to Maastricht in the Netherlands. That flight lasted close to ten hours, including stops in Cairo and Athens for refueling.

Despite careful preparation, she said, flights are unpredictable. Weather changes can occur suddenly, requiring pilots to divert or adjust landing plans.

"You need to be trained and ready. Sudden weather changes can throw you off, but preparation and training help you handle them,” she said.

Work-life balance and discipline

The captain noted that flying requires discipline when balancing rest, fitness, and work schedules.

"My priorities are work, rest, and health. That means my social life suffers. Some events I can’t attend, and I live with that. Discipline is important because one small mistake can cost your license.”

RwandAir pilots have monthly schedules prepared by the crew planning department. Pilots can request specific days off and are entitled to annual leave. The schedule also includes standby days, ensuring pilots can plan personal time around work, she added.

Despite the demands of the job, Kangeyo values her career. She said aviation pays well, but it should not be pursued for money alone as passion and discipline are essential, because without them, safety could be compromised.

Mentorship and encouragement

Kangeyo mentors young women who aspire to enter aviation. She offers guidance on training paths, scholarships, and career opportunities.

She said an aviation career is neither easy nor cheap, but persistence pays off. Some people start by saving for a Private Pilot License (PPL), then apply for scholarships to continue and earn a Commercial Pilot License (CPL).

Others begin in areas like engineering or maintenance and later transition to flying. She describes the field as an adventure and a continuous learning experience, with many career paths beyond piloting, including engineering, dispatch, finance, cabin crew, security, psychology, and medicine.

Her inspiration is Captain Esther Mbabazi, whose courage and early achievements opened the way for others to follow.

Career development and future goals

Kangeyo noted that learning never stops in aviation. Technology and training evolve constantly, and pilots must stay up to date throughout their careers. She intends to understand the technical aspects of flying and how airlines are managed, including the operational decisions that determine profitability.

Her experience includes different aircraft types, from the CRJ900, which can reach 41,000 feet, to the Q400, limited to 25,000 feet, requiring pilots to adjust techniques accordingly. Flying with different colleagues over the years has also helped her grow in confidence and skill.

Flying internationally has given Kangeyo a perspective on national representation, she said: "When you travel and people see you, young, female, and a pilot, you realize you are where you are because your country invested in your opportunities. It’s a sense of pride.”