Zara Rutherford is the youngest female pilot on a mission to make solo flight across the world. She has landed in Riyadh, after stopping briefly in Mumbai.
Zara Rutherford, from Belgium, landed in a small aircraft at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday.
The staging of this event in Saudi Arabia was organised by aviation authorities to shine light on the role of women in the aviation industry. The goal was to empower Saudi women in the field of aviation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Dominique Mineur, Ambassador of Belgium to Saudi Arabia, and a number of Riyadh Airports Company and Saudi Aviation Club executives greeted Rutherford when she reached Riyadh after landing in the United Arab Emirates.
Rutherford stated during a special reception to honour the occasion, “I am happy to have landed in Riyadh. The flight exceeded all of my expectations, providing me with fantastic moments and enormous challenges when flying over Saudi Arabia, where every minute was an exceptional experience.”
She went on to say, “I strive to be the youngest woman in the world to fly solo around the world and make a record in the Guinness Book of World Records, as well as to encourage girls and women to fulfil their aspirations of such a voyage and inspire them to seek careers in science and aviation.”
Rutherford had previously arrived at Mumbai International Airport on January 3rd.
Zara’s goal is to inspire girls and women to pursue jobs in STEM and aviation, to dream and to be encouraged to realise those aspirations.
Zara took off in her Shark aircraft from Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport in western Belgium in August 2021. She had accomplished roughly 80% of her voyage when she landed in Mumbai.
