One of five Saudi female pilots who recently obtained pilot licenses to fly commercial or private jets, Yasmine al-Maymany, has said that she has completed 300 hours of flying practice in the United States after getting her qualifications in Jordan, Al Arabiya English reports.

Earlier, the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation said that five Saudi women have obtained the pilot license, making them ready to take their seat in the cockpit of a commercial or private flight.

The Authority said one of the Saudi women has a special pilot license named “PPL,” which allows her to fly as part of a hobby, without working in any airline.

Maymany said that she exchanged her American license with a Saudi one after meeting the requirements set by the Saudi Aviation Authority since 2013, but added: “I couldn’t find any Saudi or Gulf airliners willing to recruit me because I am a woman, and couldn’t find a job in this industry despite the issuance of license from the Saudi Aviation Authority.”

She further added that later on she got offers from other Gulf airlines, but she turned them down as she was waiting for “a similar initiative from a Saudi company, granting us the trust, supporting Saudi women, with the increase of Saudi women in this sector.”

The Saudi pilot added that some Gulf airliners ask for experience, questioning: “How can we accomplish that if the Saudi companies do not give us a chance and take the lead.”

Maymany added: “I have a government license, and I have all the requirements needed for the job, however, we did not get the opportunity to work. I knocked many doors for a job, but the refusal is still going on under the pretext that women’s jobs as female captain do not exist, even though there are training institutes on aviation and there are institutes in Jeddah and Dammam.”

Saudi women have recently entered the Saudi aviation sector in various departments such as customer service, air traffic control, air transport, termination of travel procedures and administrative work .