Air Canada and CAE open applications for eight scholarships for women pilots and engineers
Applications opened on Sunday, 1 November 2026, for the eighth annual Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship, run by Air Canada and CAE with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. The programme will award up to eight scholarships to Canadian women training as commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers in 2027.
The scholarships are named after Judy Cameron, Air Canada’s first female pilot. She was hired by the airline in April 1978, at the age of 23, after becoming the first woman to graduate from Selkirk College’s Aviation Technology Program in 1975. Over a 40-year career, she flew for more than 23,000 hours, became a captain in 1997, and in 2010 became the first female captain in Canada of a Boeing 777. She retired in 2015 and now works with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, mentoring young women in aviation.
Air Canada launched the scholarship in 2019 with four awards. It grew in 2023, when CAE joined the programme and the number of scholarships doubled to eight. Women on the commercial pilot path may also be chosen as ambassadors for CAE’s Women in Flight programme.
Cameron said recipients came from across Canada, from New Brunswick to Alberta, and shared a habit of encouraging other women in aviation. Air Canada said one of its first scholarship recipients is now a pilot on an Airbus A330 at the airline.
Why it matters
Flying remains a field where women are a small minority. CAE said aviation will need 300,000 new pilots by 2034, while women make up only about 5% of commercial pilots today. Scholarships that pay for training can make a real difference, because learning to fly is costly and many talented people are put off before they start.
The programme also builds a visible chain of role models. When a scholarship winner goes on to fly for a major airline, younger women can see a path from training to the flight deck, rather than only hearing that the door is open.
What happens next
Applications for the 2027 programme are now open, and eligible Canadian women can apply through Air Canada’s website. The winners will be named ahead of the 2027 training year, with pilot-path recipients in line for the CAE Women in Flight ambassador role.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://www.aircanada.com/media/new-horizons-ahead-applications-open-november-1-for-the-eighth-annual-air-canada-and-cae-captain-judy-cameron-scholarship/ (Air Canada, 28 October 2026)
- https://www.travelpulse.ca/news/airlines-airports/applications-open-soon-for-women-pilots-scholarship-from-air-canada-and-cae (TravelPulse Canada, 29 October 2026)
- https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/28/3390216/0/en/new-horizons-ahead-applications-open-november-1-for-the-eighth-annual-air-canada-and-cae-captain-judy-cameron-scholarship.html (GlobeNewswire, 28 October 2026)
