A 27-year-old has achieved a major milestone—they have become a pilot for Delta Airlines, having previously worked as a ramp agent.

Justin Mutawassim, a 27-year-old African American pilot at Delta Air Lines, accomplished his childhood aspiration of becoming a pilot at the very same airline he had previously been employed as a ramp agent.

From the age of five, Mutawassim had been captivated by the thought of flying, inspired by his first experience of a plane journey and the cockpit. When he got to middle school, however, his enthusiasm was somewhat dampened when his teacher, who was in the US Air Force, wrongly informed him that flawless vision was a necessity to become a pilot - something Mutawassim, who wore glasses, had no way of verifying at the time.

Consequently, upon finishing high school, Mutawassim settled for a career in broadcasting and began college as well as taking up various jobs - something he found enjoyable but not as satisfying as he had envisioned aviation would be.

One year later, he chose to withdraw from college and started to work as a ramp agent loading baggage at Delta Air Lines in 2014. That reignited his enthusiasm for aviation, and he quickly ascended the ranks, becoming a supervisor and then instructor, yet he still did not have the self-assurance to pursue being a pilot.

2016 proved to be a turning point in Mutawassim's life when he encountered Ivor Martin, a Black pilot, who offered to mentor him after hearing his ambition to become a pilot. With Martin's backing, Mutawassim was able to obtain his licenses in less than a year.

In 2018, he started working as a pilot for a regional airline and then a start-up airline. In 2022, he saw the opening to apply to work as a pilot at Delta upon learning the company no longer required a college degree for pilots. After a few months of training, he officially became a Delta pilot.

Mutawassim took to Twitter to commemorate his achievement, posting a picture of himself as a Delta ramp agent in 2016 alongside a picture of himself as a Delta pilot in 2022, along with the caption: “This one has been 6 long years in the making.”



Presently based in New York City, Mutawassim is currently enrolled in college classes for a degree in Aviation Science and striving towards his next objective of becoming a captain. Additionally, he volunteers as a mentor to aspiring pilots, in a manner of paying back what Martin did for him.

This story first appeared on Blacknews.com.

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