OREANDA-NEWS. May 16, 2012. Air Astana congratulates veterans on Victory Day and in memory of the legendary first female pilot – Hiuaz Dospanova, the national air carrier will give its first owned aircraft her name. The naming ceremony will be held upon arrival  of the next Embraer 190  being delivered in July this year, reported the press-centre of Air Astana.

May 15, 2012 marks the 90th anniversary of the occasion when Hiuaz Dospanova, first Kazakh female pilot, veteran of the the Great Patriotic War fought for the 588th night bomber squadron. She served combat missions on the Southern Front, North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Ukraine and Belarus. Hiuaz Dospanova was awarded with 2nd degree Red Star of the Great Patriotic War, Red Banner, medals for Caucasus Defense, Warsaw liberation, Victory over Germany and other military awards. By decree of Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, she was awarded the title of Halyk Kakharmany (National Hero), on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the victory day . Hiuaz Dospanova died on May 20th, 2008, but the memory of her brave deeds will live on forever in the hearts of present and future generations of Kazakhstan people.

“It is an old tradition to give ships and aircraft female names, so when the question of naming Air Astana’s first owned aircraft, an Embraer 190, there was no hesitation about naming it after an outstanding Kazakh female pilot, Hiuaz Dospanova. This is a tribute to the memory of the courage and bravery of  legendary pilots, who fought for peaceful skies,” commented Peter Foster, President of Air Astana.

Air Astana hopes that naming aircraft after legendary Kazakh women will become a tradition, together with its programme of offering free tickets on domestic flights and the CIS countries to participants of the Great Patriotic War.