Asnieh Bet Abibe

Ethiopia's first female pilot who broke racial and gender barriers in aviation during the mid-20th century

Asnieh Bet Abibe (1912-1989) shattered multiple boundaries as Africa's first female pilot and Ethiopia's first aviation pioneer of any gender. Born in Addis Ababa, she began her career as a mechanic at the Ethiopian Imperial Air Force before securing a scholarship to study aviation in France. Her biography highlights her 1938 solo flight across the Red Sea - the first by an African woman. During WWII, she served as a transport pilot ferrying supplies between East African colonies. Post-independence, she founded the African Women's Aviation Society, training over 50 female pilots. Her memoir 《Wings Over Ethiopia》 details her challenges against colonial and patriarchal systems. The British Museum holds her flight logbook from 1942. Though overshadowed by male contemporaries like Bader, her contributions are now celebrated in Nairobi's African Aviation Museum. Her story inspired the 2022 documentary 《Skyward Bound》.