Captain Deborah Lawrie AM

Captain Deborah Lawrie AM's Biography

In 1979 Deborah was the subject of the first contested equal opportunity anti-discrimination case in Australia. After fighting for more than a year she won the legal battle against Sir Reginald Ansett in the High Court. She joined Ansett Airlines to become the first female airline pilot for a major airline in Australia. 

After the Pilot’s Dispute in 1989, Deborah relocated to The Netherlands to fly with KLM Cityhopper. She held the position of Flight Safety Manager for 4 years and was the Chief Flight Safety Investigator for 8 years. Deborah was chairman of a European Safety Working Group for 5 years and was a member of the IATA Aircraft Accident Working Group. In 2004 Deborah was part of a team commissioned by The Netherlands, to align the Latvian aviation standards with those of the European Union.   

In 2008 Deborah returned to Australia to join Jetstar Airways and was a Captain on the Airbus A320 based in Christchurch. In July of 2012 Deborah joined Tigerair in Sydney and was a Check and Training Captain up until the airline was shut down in April 2020.

Deborah learnt to fly at Moorabbin airport when she was 16 years old and has over 50 years of experience in aviation. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001 and was appointed as a Member (AM) in the General Division of The Order of Australia in June 2019 for significant service to aviation as a commercial pilot, and to women in the profession. Deborah was inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2020.