A British woman, Pilot Kate McWilliams, who has now been promoted to captain after passing the airline’s command course, is believed to have become the world’s youngest ever commercial airline captain at age 26.

According to Standard.co.uk, Pilot McWilliams joined easyJet as a first officer just five years ago.

An easyJet spokeswoman said the Luton-based airline has carried out research which leads it to believe she is the youngest commercial airline captain in the world.

Miss McWilliams said most people are surprised when she tells them her age.

It was gathered that she began flying aged 13 in the air cadets before embarking on a training programme at CTC Aviation in Southampton on her 19th birthday.

She flies Airbus A319 and A320 planes to around 100 destinations, such as Reykjavik, Tel Aviv and Marrakesh.

Just 5 per cent of commercial pilots are female and last year easyJet announced an initiative to double the proportion of female new entrants to 12% over two years.

Julie Westhorp, chairwoman of the British Women Pilots’ Association (BWPA), said she hopes Miss McWilliams’ progression inspires more women to consider pursuing a career in aviation.

Last week Miss McWilliams flew from Gatwick to Malta alongside Luke Elsworth, who earlier this year became the UK’s youngest pilot at 19 years old.