Aloha4Tonga

With all of the difficulties in the aftermath of the disaster in Tonga, I wanted to share this story and share this story of good things happening! What a wonderful story of this woman who is the first Tongan female to captain a commercial airline. Her daughter is a pilot too!

Our Hawaiian Airlines ‘ohana is made up of amazing strong women who have and continue to break barriers in the aviation industry. This International Womens’ Day, we are honored to share the story of our ‘ohana member, Captain Anaseini “Kamelia” (Lino) Zarka. Zarka earned her Hawaiian Airlines pilot wings in 1999 and carries the honor of being the first Tongan woman to captain a commercial airline. Now, her legacy will continue at Hawaiian Airlines through her daughters’ passion for flying. ✈️💜 Read more: https://on.hwnair.com/3hOeYr5.

“When I was hired, women made up 4% of pilots of the industry – now it’s about 8% industrywide – and even higher at Hawaiian,” she said. Today, over 9% of Hawaiian Airlines' pilots are women, making it a leader among U.S. carriers.

📷 Fellow Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 Captain Bryan Shirota