Princess Salma bint Abdullah has carved a unique path within Jordan's royal family, becoming the first woman jet pilot in the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces while maintaining an active role in public service.
Born September 26, 2000, Princess Salma is the third child of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. She graduated from the International Amman Academy in May 2018 before following her father and elder brother, Crown Prince Hussein, to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.
In November 2018, she was commissioned into the Jordanian Armed Forces as a second lieutenant. Her historic achievement came in January 2020 when she completed preliminary pilot training on a fixed-wing aircraft, becoming the country's first woman military pilot.
King Abdullah II, the supreme commander of the Jordan Armed Forces, presented her with aviation wings at a ceremony in Amman.
Princess Salma currently holds the rank of first lieutenant in the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
In December 2023, she participated in a humanitarian airdrop mission to deliver medical supplies to the Jordanian field hospital in northern Gaza, according to the Royal Hashemite Court. The operation marked Jordan's fifth airdrop mission to support the hospital's operations during the ongoing conflict.
Beyond military service, Princess Salma earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in archaeology from the University of Southern California in May 2023. She has taken on increasing official duties, including inaugurating the Military Women's Training Centre in Zarqa in June 2021 on behalf of her father.
