Captain Louise Pole
President, Australian Federation of Air Pilots
CONTACT ME
Aviation, Leadership
Travels From Brisbane, QLD
ABOUT ME
A QantasLink Q400 pilot, Captain Pole is the first woman in Australia to lead a pilots union.
In October 2018 the Australian Federation of Air Pilots elected Captain Louise Pole as the first woman president in its 80-year history.
Captain Pole began flying in 1985 and attained her Commercial Pilot Licence in 1989. Her passion for flying has taken her across Australia over more than three decades. In fact, she has held her pilot’s licence for longer than her car licence.
Captain Pole joined QantasLink in 2001 at a time when only 5% of pilots were women at the airline. Women still make up a minority of pilots in Australia and worldwide.
In 2009 Captain Pole was elected AFAP Vice President of Administration and Finance, becoming the first woman Federal Officer to be appointed in the pilot federation’s history – a position she held for ten years.
Captain Pole established the AFAP Women’s Network to provide a unique forum for identifying and pursuing industrial and professional issues relevant to women members. Since 2010 the number of women members has increased by more than 300%.