Female pilot with 'zero-error' record in 10 years becomes 1st woman to fly Chinese-made planes

A female pilot in China has become the first female to fly the Chinese-made C919 planes full-time.

She boasts a "zero-error" record in her 10 years with Guangzhou-based carrier China Southern Airlines and had previously flown U.S.-made Boeing 737s.

Flying since 2015

The pilot, Yu Yue, was introduced in a social media post on Dec. 10 by Chinese plane manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), local media reported.

Comac produces the C919, designed to compete with the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320.

Yu went to flight school in 2011 before joining China Southern Airlines in 2015.

There, she flew Boeing 737s for nine years, maintaining a "zero-error" record.

Earlier in 2025, as the airline added the locally-made C919 to its fleet, pilots were selected to undergo training.

"When I was approached to gauge my willingness, I did not hesitate for even a second," Yu said in an interview.

To earn her license to fly the C919, Yu spent months in an intensive training programme at a Comac facility in Shanghai, South China Morning Post wrote.

Reflecting on her experience, Yu noted that there are now more women in the "male-dominated" aerospace sector than when she first started.

"My instructors at Comac were all female professionals too," she said, according to SCMP.

She also said that female pilots have to juggle pursuing a professional career and family commitments, like raising children.

"If some women can still excel against these challenges, they are probably the toughest women," she added.

Top image via IT Home