Page 18 - IB May 2025

Aviation Aviation
SKY IS NO LIMIT

KIRIBATI PILOT INSPIRES GIRLS

By Ema Ganivatu

In the skies above the vast ocean, which links the many
atolls of Kiribati, Captain Salote Mataitini holds the lives of
her passengers in her firm, capable hands.
She is one of the growing number of women who wing
their way across the Pacific each day, in command of flying
machines worth millions of dollars. Flying is no longer the
domain of men.
Mataitini’s journey from Fiji’s Garden Island to flying across
the skies of the Central Pacific is both powerful and inspiring.
Born and raised in Somosomo, Taveuni, Fiji, Mataitini is
from the delta village of Lomanikoro, Rewa. Her mother, Adi
Kunea Lalabalavu, is the daughter of the former Tui Cakau
(one of Fiji’s leading chiefly titles), Ratu Ratavo Lalabalavu.
Her father, Ro Naulu Mataitini, is the current Vunivalu of Queen of the skies ... Captain Salote Mataitini with children of Kiribati.
Rewa, a former soldier and international security adviser at
the United Nations.
She is as royal as one can be in Fiji. home.
Mataitini has an identical twin sister who is an air traffic “I’ve only been able to fully immerse myself in the culture
controller in Nadi and is married to a pilot. and language because of the way the people of Kiribati
“Aviation runs in the family,” she said. embraced me as one of their own.”
From a young age, she was fascinated by flying. Flying in the Pacific comes with its own set of trials.
“Whenever I travelled domestically in Fiji, I would try to “Kiribati is located on the Equator, meaning intense
make sure that I sat right behind the pilots so that I could thunderstorms called the Intertropical Convergence Zones can
observe their every move in the cockpit,” she remembers. form,” Mataitini said.
“It really fascinated me how they knew how to operate the “In my earlier days, I used to operate up to 12 flight sectors
aircraft… even when flying through the thick clouds.” a day.”
Her passion for aviation took flight as she moved from Today, it is more manageable, but the thrill remains.
Somosomo District to Bucalevu Secondary, to Adi Cakobau “No one day is ever the same… although stressful at times,
School and then to International School Suva. all is worth it when I am able to play a part in reuniting
After finishing high school, she moved to New Zealand to passengers with their loved ones.”
attend Ardmore Flying School in Auckland. Despite the risks and challenges, she finds great beauty in
“I started my research during my gap year when I was in her work.
Kenya with my family… I chose Ardmore because it was the “My ‘office view’ from the clouds are the beautiful lagoons
biggest and best flying school in the Southern Hemisphere at of Kiribati, with white sandy beaches. My ‘home view’ is the
the time.” sea, which is right outside my front porch.
There, she trained for three years, flying across much of “This is not a bad view to wake up to every day… I feel
the North Island and graduating with a Commercial Pilot’s quite blessed that what most people only get to experience
Licence. while on vacation is my norm.”
“I am forever grateful to my family for their support, Now, she is seeing the fruits of her influence.
especially financially, in helping me achieve my dreams.” “I’m proud to see newly graduated Kiribati female pilots
As a woman stepping into a male-dominated field, the and trainee pilots in flying schools,” Mataitini said.
challenges were real. “I’m glad that my time spent in Kiribati this past decade
“Gender bias was very much prevalent in the earlier part has made an impact on the nation’s view that females too can
of my career,” she admits. fly.”
But that didn’t stop her. For young girls across the Pacific, Mataitini has this
Her career took a transformative turn when she joined Air message: “You must focus on your dreams, work hard and
Kiribati. do everything possible to make your dream come true, not
“As a pilot, I wanted to travel out of my comfort zone… neglecting the people that help you along the way.
to learn what it’s like living and working on the front line of “Aviation is not just a job; it’s a way to connect people,
climate change. cultures, and islands. And every flight is a reminder that the
Over the past 10 years, Mataitini has made Kiribati her sky is never the limit.”

18 Islands Business, May 2025