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Women’s share of commercial pilot licences in the UK rose by 5.3 per cent last year, according to new data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
From the end of 2024 to the end of 2025, 58 new commercial pilot licences were issued, bringing the total held by women to 1,156.
General aviation pilot licences increased by 9.3 per cent, up from 1,572 to 1,718.
The figures are part of an annual dataset published by the Civil Aviation Authority on the age and gender of pilot licence holders.
The uptake has continued in 2026, with the number of commercial pilot licences held by women standing at 1,218 at the start of October, up 5.4 per cent since the start of the year.
In 2025, 295 “initial issues” of first aviation pilot licences were issued to women with an average age of 30.2 years, almost 70 per cent higher than the 174 issued in 2024.
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.”
However, female pilot figures still lag significantly behind male licence holders.
Between 2024 and 2025, 510 new commercial pilot licences were issued to men, making the overall figure 17,954.
Over 32,358 general aviation licences were held by men for recreational flying – 30,640 more than women.
Licences held by women pilots now make up just 6.22 per cent of the commercial aviation sector, up from 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.
The British Air Line Pilots Association’s (BALPA) 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 per cent of commercial aviation pilot licences are held by women.”
Read more: ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’: The female pilots flying the flag for women in aviation