Chrispine Onyango’s Inspiring Journey: From Nakuru To Becoming Emirates Airlines Captain In Dubai
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Douglas Chrispine Onyango is a Captain at Emirates Airlines in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Emirates Airlines operates the world’s largest fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s and has officially sponsored various football clubs, including Arsenal.
Onyango, who became a pilot at 27, has accumulated over 10,000 flight hours and has trained over 100 pilots.
However, his journey to one of Emirates’ top pilots began long before he moved to Dubai.
In fact, he was already making aviation headlines more than 10 years ago while working for Kenya Airways.
From Mang’u to South Africa
Onyango was born in Nakuru and is an alumnus of Mang’u High School.
After sitting for his KCSE in 2004, he pursued a Diploma in Biblical Studies at PETREM School of Ministry, graduating in 2005.
From there, he proceeded to Makini College, where he studied PC Fundamentals, Software Support & Hardware Support.
In 2007, Onyango joined Gcat Flight Training School in Ghana and later Progress Flight Academy in South Africa, where he trained to become a commercial pilot.
He learned how to operate aircraft, navigate different weather conditions, communicate with air traffic controllers, and respond to emergencies.
In June 2008, Onyango returned to Kenya and joined Kenya Airways as a Senior First Officer, a position he would hold for about five years.
His work was to learn, help the captain operate the aircraft, and ensure that the passengers had a smooth ride.
In August 2013, Onyango was promoted to Captain and Type Rating Instructor. He started training other pilots to operate specific types of aircraft.
In 2014, his work was recognized and highlighted by a publication called Aviation Week.
The publication stated that Onyango had become the first pilot from Progress Flight Academy’s 2006 Kenya Airways training group to qualify as Captain on the Embraer 190 aircraft.
During his stay at Kenya Airways, Onyango accumulated over 3,000 flight hours.
Leaving Kenya Airways to Join Emirates in Dubai
In December 2015, Onyango left Kenya Airways and joined Emirates Airlines in Dubai.
Interestingly, although he had already attained the rank of Captain at Kenya Airways, he joined Emirates Airlines as a Senior First Officer.
After working at Emirates for about four years and three months, Onyango was promoted to Captain.
As a captain, he is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of commercial passenger aircraft, including making key flight decisions and overseeing the cockpit crew.
He has now been working at Emirates for over 11 years and has been a captain for over six years.
Away from the cockpit, he has been involved in charitable activities at Mang’u and PETREM Ministries.
“I don’t want to be remembered for having been a pilot. Rather, for shaping people’s lives and making it better,” he said in an interview with Business Daily.
He has also been involved in helping other pilots develop their flying skills.
Other Kenyan Pilots Making Their Mark Internationally
Aside from Onyango, Captain Isaac Awinyo is another Kenyan pilot who works at Emirates.
Awinyo attended Starehe Boys’ Centre and studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nairobi.
Fom there, he joined the Kenya Defence Forces, where he trained to become a helicopter pilot. In 2002, he moved to Kenya Airways.
Awinyo became a Kenya Airways Captain in 2009 before joining Emirates as a First Officer in 2017.
Another notable Kenyan pilot is Captain Irene Koki Mutungi, who made history as Kenya Airways’ first female pilot.
In 2014, she commanded the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its first commercial service between Nairobi and Paris.
According to AirKenya, over 15 Kenyan pilots have progressed to Captain positions at international airlines, including Emirates, British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
