Nicole Chang-Leng

Nicole Anna Michelle Chang-Leng (28 September 1977 – 3 November 2022) was a Seychellois pilot. She began her career in 1997, becoming the Seychelles' first female pilot by flying for Air Seychelles on their domestic flights. In 2001, she was promoted to first officer on their international routes. In 2007 she was promoted to captain, becoming the first female Seychellois captain in her country and the airline. On two occasions, she commanded all-women flight crews; one such occasion was in honour of International Women's Day.

Career According to Chang-Leng, her parents and teachers originally wished for her to study medicine at University College London, but she decided that she would rather be a pilot. She trained in South Africa and started to work for Air Seychelles in 1997 as the co-pilot of a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter. She flew the Twin Otter and the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander on domestic flights for the first four years of her career. She was the first female pilot in the Seychelles. Seychellois president James Michel called her appointment "a milestone for our country". She captained another all-woman crew for International Women's Day in 2011, flying from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Seychelles International Airport.

In August 2019, Chang-Leng delivered the first A320neo operated out of Africa or the Indian Ocean to the Seychelles; the flight had to perform an emergency stop in Abu Dhabi after smoke was detected in the plane.

Personal life Nicole Chang-Leng was born to Marie-Claire and Lewis Chang-Leng.

Death and legacy Chang-Leng died on 3 November 2022, at the age of 45. The day following her death, Seychellois president Wavel Ramkalawan publicly posted his condolences to her family, calling Chang-Leng "a true daughter of our soil" and "beacon of hope for all who aspire to live out their dream".

Chang-Leng was buried on 10 November 2022. Pilots from Air Seychelles attended her funeral and performed a flyover in her honour, using the A320neo she had delivered in 2019.