Rola Hoteit

Upon becoming the first female ever to break into a male-dominant field, the BBC recognized Hoteit among the Top 100 Women in the World in 2016. She was additionally selected as one of the top 100 influential Lebanese figures in the world, as featured in the book, "The 100: Meet 100 Influential Lebanese Figures Around the Globe". She has also been given the honorary fellowship title from the Royal Aeronautical Society in the United Kingdom.

Hoteit led her first single trip on March 16, 2011, heading to the Jordanian capital Amman. Onboard among the passengers was Former Prime Minister Tammam Salam. She stated that during that flight, some passengers were irritated by the fact that the pilot was a female.

Hoteit also said that after the 2006 Lebanese War, both, she and her husband, decided never to be on command at the same time.

Ten years later, Hoteit returned to finish her BS in mathematics at the American University of Beirut. She completed her studies while flying at the same time and graduated in 2003 when her elder son was only 2 years old. In 2013, Hoteit rejoined AUB to pursue a Masters Degree in Philosophy.

As Hoteit describes, she was pursuing her BS in mathematics at the American University of Beirut when a turn of events resulted in her deciding to become a pilot. During the summer semester of her Sophomore year, in 1993, a male classmate saw a recruitment advertisement for the Middle East Airlines regarding a search for potential pilots, and both males and females were allowed to apply. Her classmate proceeded to mock the advertisement as he had the impression that women could hardly drive cars and that it would be absurd for an airline pilot to be a woman. Hoteit details that, even though she had never considered becoming an airline captain, this specifically angered her to the point of challenging her classmate to sit for the entrance exam and see who could get higher grades.

Hoteit was born in 1974 in a small town in Lebanon, Doueir. She has had an aptitude for mathematics since she was a child, and before considering pilot training, she had envisioned a career in mathematics for herself. During her childhood, as a result of the ongoing war in Lebanon, Hoteit faced major difficulties from regular switching between schools, as well as, being obliged to resort to home schooling at times. Nevertheless, Hoteit successfully managed to complete her studies and join the American University of Beirut.