All-female flight crew land in Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to drive

Royal Brunei Airlines celebrated a milestone when the first ever all-female crew touched down in Saudi Arabia - a country where women are still not permitted to drive cars.

Captain Sharifah Czarena Surainy, Senior First Officer Dk Nadiah Pg Khashiem and Senior First Officer Sariana Nordin flew flight BI081 to Jeddah on February 23, which coincided with Brunei's 32nd National Day which celebrates the country's independence.

"We are the Nation's 'Generation with a Vision'; we are the tomorrow," the airline said in a Facebook post.

But the airline's landmark voyage highlights the ongoing restrictions women face in Saudi Arabia where rules imposed by Muslim clerics prohibit females from driving cars.

Royal Brunei Airlines is committed to getting more women to join flight crews and it offers an Engineering Apprentice Programme to both males and females.

The flight came three years after Captain Sharifa Czarena Surainy became the first female captain of a flag carrier, according to the Brunei Times.

During an interview at the time, she said: "It’s really showing the younger generation or the girls especially that whatever they dream of, they can achieve it."