Taking off: Number of pilot licences held by women rises twice as fast as those held by men

At a glance:

• Number of commercial licences held by women up 5.3%
• General aviation licences held by women rises 9.3%
• Increases seen in 2025 have continued throughout 2026.

The number of pilot licences held by women is rising at about twice the rate of those held by men, according to new data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

There was a 5.3 per cent increase in commercial pilot licences held by women, up from 1,098 by the end of 2024 to 1,156 by the end of 2025, and a 9.3 per cent increase in general aviation pilot licences, up from 1,572 to 1,718.

This is around double the increase in the number of licences held by men. Over the same period, there was a 2.9 per cent increase in commercial pilot licences held by men and a 4.6 per cent increase in general aviation pilot licences.

Furthermore, the number of commercial pilot licences held by women has continued to increase throughout 2026, and stood at 1,218 at the start of October, up 5.4% since the start of the year.

This means that the number of commercial pilot licences held by women for professional flying has increased by 120 since the end of 2024.

 In addition, 1,773 general aviation pilot licences (for recreational flying) were held by women as of October.

There were 295 “initial issues” of pilot licences to women in 2025 – the process of being granted a first aviation pilot licence.

This was the highest annual figure since the Covid pandemic and almost 70 per cent higher than the 174 issued in 2024.

The average age of a woman receiving a pilot’s licence was 30.2 years.

Licences held by women pilots now make up 6.22 per cent of the commercial aviation sector, up from 5.9 per cent in 2024 and 6.05 per cent in 2025.

In general aviation, the proportion of women licence holders has risen from 4.8 per cent to 5 per cent.

Glenn Bradley, Chief Pilot at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:

“Over the last five years we have seen a steady increase in licences being issued to female pilots. It’s great to see this increasing trend in a role that is equally accessible to all genders and ethnicities.

“The CAA is a strong supporter of the STEM programme that encourages young people across the board into all aspects of the exciting, interesting and challenging world of aviation, so seeing this change in demographics is excellent.”

Keir Mather, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Logistics, said:

“Every young person should be able to see a future for themselves in aviation, so it’s encouraging to see more women gaining pilot licences.

“This Government is breaking down barriers to employment, with our programme to recruit industry ambassadors that promote aviation careers, and £750,000 investment in education and training.

“We’re also supporting young people from underrepresented backgrounds and giving a leg up to those out of work – encouraging them to reach for the sky.”

Katherine Moloney, founder of Elevate(her) Aviation, said:

"Elevate(her) Aviation are delighted to see these historic new statistics from the CAA. The rise in women obtaining pilot licences in recent years is remarkable, and it shows that initiatives like Elevate(her) are making a tangible difference to the number of women entering aviation careers.

“Since our launch in 2023, we have worked tirelessly to inspire, educate, and inform women and girls about the opportunities in aviation, and on behalf of the whole team, I’m thrilled to see such a clear shift in the numbers.

“But our work is far from finished. There is still a long road ahead and challenges to overcome, and we will meet them together, as an industry. We are enormously grateful to our partners, whose ongoing support makes this important work possible.”

BALPA’s Acting General Secretary, Zohra Francis, said:

“BALPA notes that there has been a small increase in the number of women achieving their pilot’s licence and gaining entry to a fantastic career.  This is welcome news and heading in the right direction.

“However, there is still a lot to be done – less than 7% of commercial aviation pilot licenses are held by women. We need to understand and address the barriers that result in a disproportionately small number of women pilots. 

“Anyone with the talent, skills and aptitude to become a pilot should have the opportunity to do so. We must work together to challenge the structural issues that prevent women entering the profession.”

The figures are part of a wider dataset published annually by the Civil Aviation Authority that details the age and gender of pilot licence holders.

The figures show the number of valid licences and not the number of individual licence holders – pilots can hold more than one type of licence.

By the end of 2025, there were 25,071 PPL holders (private pilot licence, down 119 year-on-year), 14,122 ATPL holders (airline transport pilot licence, up 469), 4,753 CPL holders (commercial pilot licence, up 79) and 235 MPL holders (multi-pilot licence, up 20).

The total number of all types of pilot licence holders – including airship, balloon, gyroplane, helicopter and sailplane – increased year-on-year from 51,038 to 53,186.

Of these, a total of 12,489 were held by people aged 65 or older, followed by 12,015 licences held by those aged 55 to 64.

There were 76 licences held by people aged under 18 in 2025 – double the number a year earlier.