Salma Al Baloushi completed her first flight as a first officer on Thursday on Etihad Airways flight EY091 from Abu Dhabi to Athens. Salma thus became the first Emirati female to graduate from the airline's cadet programme as a co-pilot. Salma joined Etihad in 2007 as part of the airline's second group of cadet pilots. She completed her initial training at the Horizon International Flight Academy in Al Ain where she studied the basics of flying, navigation and various associated technical subjects. Theoretical and flying exams Salma successfully completed 750 hours of classroom instruction and 205 hours of flight training in single and multi-engine aircraft. During this time, she passed the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority's theoretical and flying exams. Following over two years of training, Salma received her wings and was promoted to Second Officer. Flight simulator Salma later continued her training at the Etihad Training Academy, completing further ground school technical and aircraft systems training. Salma also spent time in Etihad's A320 flight simulator as well as training in the development of non-technical skills applicable to working in a multi-crew environment. After approximately 18 months, she completed her final checks and was qualified as Etihad's first Emirati female A320 co-pilot, graduating to the rank of First Officer. Hard work Salma said: "It was such an honour to be awarded with the rank of First Officer. We all worked extremely hard to reach this point and my family, who have fully supported me from day one, are extremely proud of me. I can only hope my accomplishment encourages many of my Emirati sisters and brothers to push the boundaries and reach their goals." Etihad currently has five Emirati female pilots training to fly for the airline. The airline recently recruited over 85 Emirati cadet pilots in its expanding flying programme.