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Suzan Pioneers RJ Cargo

     To bring the best of Arabic hospitality to a worldwide audience, Suzan Tarabishi joined the former ALIA – The Royal Jordanian Airlines – as an air hostess, with Royal Jordanian (RJ) being the leader of 6th freedom traffic in the Middle East of the Eighties.
     “I experienced a great degree of liberty, meeting international people and traveling the world over,” she said.
     After four years she chose to explore new avenues way below “cloud nine” and worked for a logistics company. Airfreight and sea freight services became her domain, which eventually saw her heading the sea freight department.
     Suzan frankly admits that she “got hooked” flying during her early career days, and decided to rejoin RJ in the Cargo Department working in several sales and marketing functions.
     Suzan was appointed Director Commercial for RJ Cargo in 2000 with system-wide responsibility for Cargo Pricing and Interline relations.
     Although it is indiscreet to count the lady’s experience in years, suffice to say she is almost a “veteran” in the business. Suzan holds a BA in law and a diploma in Business Administration.
     But while Suazan continues her pioneering effort as a top female air cargo executive in a mostly male dominated industry both in the Middle East and elsewhere, she says when she is not at the air cargo challenge, “I love to explore Jordan’s natural beauty with visitors - in particular Petra: one of the “New Seven World Wonders” and famous for being the backdrop of Indiana Jones’ “The Last Crusade.”
Geoffrey Arend

     Susanne Keimel who serves as co-pilot at Lufthansa Cargo might keep a careful notebook as she blazes the global air cargo lanes aboard an all-cargo aircraft.
     Every time she glides into right seat and prepares for takeoff, she is also making some kind of history.
     "I have absolutely no regrets about joining cargo.
     “Flying on long-haul routes is just great, far better than I had imagined.”
     A First Officer on the MD-11 since May 1, 2007 Susanne joins a select group of females in aviation history who with ability, determination and class are putting women up where they belong.
     Aside from all the predictable stuff, being an air cargo and for that matter aviation pioneer also has some lighter moments.
     "Ever since I started working for cargo, I’ve always needed a long time to pack my suitcase.
     “Flying to several cargo destinations in various parts of the world raises other challenges for a woman pilot that might not be obvious at first glance.
     “In Islamic countries, for example, a strict dress code of long sleeved shirts and long pants or dresses stand in contrast to temperatures reaching 40 °C or even higher.
     "Life as a crew member is completely different at cargo. At first I thought that you would only be traveling as a twosome. But at the hotels we often meet up with other crews and spend evenings going out to meals together as a group.
     “Sometimes I have to point out that I’m the co-pilot and not the captain’s significant other or local acquaintance.
     “But I don’t have a problem with that, since we women are still a small minority in cargo."
     When flying, Susanne says it doesn’t makes any difference to the captain whether the co-pilot is a man or a woman.
     “The MD-11 aircraft type is truly demanding, but also a lot of fun,” she says.
Nils