BY JOSES SAREN
There was something different in the air this week over the Pacific.
As Solomon Airlines flight IE711 descended toward Port Vila and IE723 made its approach into Honiara, the cockpit told a story that went beyond aviation. For the first time in the airline’s history, two female Airbus A320 pilots operated international services together — Captain Claudia Walding and First Officer Lyndah Tito Owen — and the flight marked the beginning of a new chapter for Solomon Airlines and for the women who now have a clearer path into the industry.
For passengers boarding those flights, it may have looked like any other international sector. But for those following the trajectory of Pacific aviation, the sight of two local women commanding the flight deck of a jet aircraft on an international route was a marker of just how far the industry has travelled — and how much further it still hopes to go.
Owen has spent seventeen years turning what might once have seemed unlikely into her everyday reality.
She joined Solomon Airlines in 2009, starting out on the smaller aircraft that connect the islands she calls home. She has steadily broken new ground since. In 2017, alongside Captain Patricia Avosa, she became part of the airline’s first all-local female flight crew, flying together aboard a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter — the rugged, propeller-driven workhorse of inter-island travel across the Solomons. By 2023, she had risen to become the airline’s first female Dash 8 Captain, stepping up to a larger aircraft and greater responsibility.
Now she stands at the threshold of another milestone: the first local female pilot to commence Airbus A320 line training, the step that carries her from domestic and regional flying into the airline’s international jet operations.
Behind her stands the woman who cleared much of the path already.
Captain Claudia Walding joined Solomon Airlines in 2000 and made history of her own in 2015, becoming the airline’s first female Airbus A320 Captain. Her presence in the cockpit beside Owen this week carried its own weight — years of experience now guiding the next pilot through a milestone Walding once reached alone, with few women in the region’s cockpits to look to for guidance.
Solomon Airlines Chief Executive Officer Matthew Findley called it “another proud milestone for Solomon Airlines and the Solomon Islands”.
“Captain Claudia Walding paved the way for women in aviation within our airline, and we are delighted to see First Officer Lyndah Tito Owen become the first local female pilot to commence Airbus A320 line training.
“Her achievement reflects dedication, professionalism and perseverance, and we hope it inspires more young Solomon Islanders — particularly young women — to pursue careers in aviation,” Findley said.
The milestone comes as Solomon Airlines continues connecting the Solomon Islands with destinations across the Pacific, with the airline saying it remains committed to building a diverse, highly skilled aviation workforce for the future.
For Owen, the significance goes beyond her own logbook.
“I am incredibly proud to take this next step in my career and grateful for the support and encouragement I have received throughout my journey.
“Flying alongside Captain Claudia Walding makes this milestone even more special, and I hope it inspires more young Solomon Islanders to believe that a career in aviation is within reach,” she said.
The Airbus A320 line training marks only the beginning of this next phase for Owen, as she moves into international jet operations and, in time, routes that will carry the Solomon Islands’ name further across the region.
Somewhere in the islands, perhaps, a young girl is looking up at a Solomon Airlines aircraft crossing the sky, wondering if she might one day sit at the controls herself. If Owen’s career so far is any indication, the answer is already taking shape.
Photo credit: Solomon Airlines
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