Yolanda Kaunda (née Ndala) (born 1987) is the

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

's first female aircraft Captain and its second female pilot.

Biography

Kaunda was born in

Lilongwe Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...

in 1987 and from the age of six she wanted to become a pilot. She completed her secondary education at

Kamuzu Academy Kamuzu Academy is a private boarding school in Malawi that was founded by, and named after, the late Hastings Kamuzu Banda, the former President of Malawi. It is described by its proponents as "The Eton College, Eton of Africa". In 1987, it was ...

in Kasungu in 2005, then went to South Africa's Progress Flight Academy. In 2016, Kaunda graduated as Malawi's first female aircraft Captain. Her first flight as Captain took place on 11 March 2016 at

Kamuzu International Airport Kamuzu International Airport is an international airport serving Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. It is also known as Lilongwe International Airport. History The airport was built in 1977 by the Nello L. Teer Company, taking over mo ...

, in

. The first Malawian female pilot was Fellie Mkandawire, who stopped flying before reaching the rank of captain. Kaunda graduated as the second female pilot in Malawian history. She was the only woman in her aviation class of 80 people. She was granted her pilot's license in 2009. For International Women's Day in March 2017, Kaunda captained the first all female aircraft flight for

Malawian Airlines Malawi Airlines (''Malawian Airlines'' until 2016) is the flag carrier airline of Malawi, based in Lilongwe and with its hub at Lilongwe International Airport. It was established in 2012 after the liquidation of Air Malawi, the former national ...

. They flew from

Blantyre Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

Legacy

A portrait of Kaunda features in a mural on the wall of Khwalala Community Secondary School in

Mulanje Mulanje, formerly called Mlanje, is a town in the Southern Region of Malawi, close to the border with Mozambique, to the east. It is near the Mulanje Massif. Location The town of Mulanje lies along the M-2 highway from Thyolo to the west to t ...

. She has been praised by the First Lady of Malawi, Dr. Gertrude Mutharika, for closing the gender gap for women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaunda, Yolanda Living people 1987 births Aviators Women aviators Malawian women Alumni of Kamuzu Academy People from Lilongwe 21st-century Malawian people 21st-century Malawian women