Pakistani pilot sisters make history by flying Boeing 777 aircraft at the same time

Maryam and Erum Masood, pilots at Pakistan International Airlines, became the first sisters to pilot 777s simultaneously

Maryam and Erum Masood have become the first sisters to fly Boeing 777 airliners at the same time (Danyal Gilani)

Two sisters working as pilots have become the first pair to concurrently fly Boeing 777 aircraft.

Maryam Masood and younger sister Erum Masood, who work as pilots for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), have both flown various planes for the airline, but following a promotion for one of the sisters, they became the first such pair to fly the passenger aircraft at the same time.

PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani said: “There is no known record of two real sisters having flown the same weight category aircraft concurrently.”

He added: “History was made when Erum was upgraded to fly a B-777.”

Mr Gilani said the sisters are both first officers and normally fly different aircraft, but have now flown separate 777s at the same time as one another on multiple occasions.

The Boeing 777 is the largest twinjet passenger airliner and can carry up to 450 passengers.

PIA is Pakistan’s largest airline with around 40 aircraft in total. The government, which owns the majority share in the loss-making airline has oscillated between selling it off and keeping it on several occasions.