Meet the first female pilot in Albania's armed forces

Armela Murati is the first female to become a pilot in the history of Albania's armed forces, giving hope to other young women who share her dream.

Transcript

00:00 Armella Murati is Albania's first female pilot.

00:06 The 26-year-old left her job as a teacher to follow in the footsteps of her father,

00:12 a former soldier.

00:14 Her passion for flying started when she joined the Farka Air Force Base and has changed her

00:19 life, she says.

00:22 As the country's first female pilot, Murati has made history.

00:30 "When you join the Air Force, you realize that it's a job that never gets boring.

00:51 You learn a lot, you get to know your colleagues, instructors, the command, and I hope that,

01:03 as they told me, I will one day be able to fly with others."

01:04 Murati became the first woman in the 71-year history of the Albanian Air Force to fly a

01:07 plane.

01:08 Although there were no legal obstacles to women becoming pilots, the prevailing mindset

01:13 made it very difficult.

01:14 "Until 2022, there was no female pilot in the recruitment squad.

01:21 This good opportunity continues with the recruitments that we have in 2023, where from six cadets,

01:30 two are female.

01:32 So we started to open a new one, and we, like all other European countries, that female

01:40 personnel, will be able to fly in the army."

01:48 Adia Ahmeti and Alida Bego have also followed their dream and have joined the aviation school.

01:55 They hope to pass their theoretical and practical exams at the end of the nine-month training.

02:02 Officer Robert Abazi is a pilot with over 30 years' experience.

02:09 "The applications were many, but this is the period that passes all the selection phases.

02:18 The officers do not have a big change, because they have a visa or a permit.

02:25 They have to go through the same training to become pilots."

02:32 Armele is the perfect illustration of how much has changed thanks to equal opportunities.

02:37 Nowadays, women are joining professions that were once the preserve of men.

02:42 "I am very happy that I was a female pilot.

02:45 I wish you a lot of success and I hope that all the females who want to be a part of the

02:50 army or not, but who are strong and have a desire and a conviction that they want to

02:56 fly, after today's training, I wish you the best."

03:01 From now on, women can start conquering Albania's skies.

03:05 According to Armele, all that's needed is a dream, the necessary skills and hard work.

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