“Mummy is the pilot!”

Photo: Edward Montebello

Way back in April 2007, Charmaine St John was the only female captain in the employ of the national airline – Air Malta. In an interview with then ILLUM editor JULIA FARRUGIA (now Minister for Inclusion and Social Well Being) she reveals that when younger, she had aspirations of becoming a veterinary. Before moving to the left hand seat in 2007, Captain St John was also employed as cabin crew on temporary basis during the Summer of 1992 with the national carrier.

Her first flight as captain was on 18th April 2007 on a rotation to Dusseldorf. In the interview, Captain St John also talks about the array of challenges that legacy carriers were (and still are sic.) facing due to the advent of low cost carriers. She also mentions how one of her proudest moments was when she had her husband and two kids on board and her eldest daughter started screaming – “Mummy is the pilot!”