# Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy says South Africa has to be deliberate about ensuring that women are part of the skills pipelines, training opportunities, recruitment strategies and leadership pathways in the aviation sector. The country has over 33-thousand-500 licensed aviation professionals, almost six-thousand-800 of whom are women. Creecy says her department has awarded 317 of 460 contracts in the 2025/2026 financial year to women-owned enterprises, amounting to 312.3-million-rand. Creecy says as African aviation grows, they must ensure that the employment and economic opportunities created by that growth are made accessible to women.
Minister Creecy believes greater gender equality in the aviation sector is needed