With Heart, Harley and Gloves: Eurowings Captain Has a Second Home in Mallorca

Why a captain calls Mallorca more than just a base

Some people arrive as tourists and stay with a suitcase full of everyday life. Amalia, 58, belongs to those who found not just a stopover but a second home in Mallorca. On the phone she talks about the warm wind at the pier, the motion of the sea and the quick jump into the pool after a long duty: '31 degrees in Palma, and the gin just tastes better here than any business-class cocktail,' she says and laughs, while seagulls cry in the background and a Vespa buzzes by somewhere.

From the first flight to the captain's seat

Her career began in the 1990s, at a time when few women sat in the cockpit. Early on Amalia took on responsibility and was considered one of the youngest to hold the captain's seat at her then airline. Today more than thirty years of flying are on her résumé: thousands of flight hours, countless takeoffs and landings, some strenuous, many quiet and routine. For several years she has been flying for Eurowings and has been officially based in Mallorca for two years. The duty rosters are reliable, as are her landings.

Working without much fuss

What matters to her at work she states simply: clear procedures, trust within the team, focused cooperation. 'In the cockpit it's not about competition, but about task distribution,' she explains. Small rituals help: a quick glance, a hand signal, sometimes a quiet joke that releases tension. Behind this ease lies training and experience. That more women are coming into cabins and cockpits is something she observes with quiet satisfaction: not as a headline, but as a matter of course that becomes established.

More than a pilot: mother, psychologist, pianist in the making

Outside the rush of the aircraft, Amalia is many things at once: a mother, studied business psychology, and occasionally runs seminars for managers. During the pandemic the cockpit receded briefly; there was a two-year pause, and seminars and online workshops took the place of checklists. The return felt like coming home. When she is not working, you can find her on the golf course in the late afternoon, having an espresso in Palma's old town or on short motorcycle tours over the Serra de Tramuntana. Her island life mirrors other local stories, such as With Tattoos, Harley and Child: Yvonne Builds Her Life in Mallorca. At home awaits a peaceful finca, her husband reads by the pool, and she is already thinking about piano lessons — but only after the next check flight.

The interplay of profession and island rhythm

'Mallorca is like a gain for me,' she says almost thoughtfully. The island offers exactly the mix she needs: good food, short distances to the airport, mountains to switch off and the pier as a place for the end of the day. This balance makes her happy: the structured office routine in the clouds and the slow breathing of the island on the ground. Travelers on board react mostly positively; some are surprised to see a woman in the cockpit, others just wave briefly — a thumbs up is enough, and everything is fine. Occasional concerns about crew credentials have also made headlines (see Fake Pilot in Europe's Skies: Why Mallorca Must Take a Closer Look).

Small gestures, big impact

A few everyday scenes stay with her: passengers who knock on the cockpit door after landing to say thank you; female colleagues who prepare the plane with routine; the smell of espresso in the terminal. For Amalia these are the small confirmations that her job is more than technology and routine — it's about people and reliability. Her tip for those who still believe aviation is a men's domain: 'Listen — not only to the radio, but to the stories of those who fly every day. Competence shows itself in calm, routine and respect.'

Outlook: For Amalia Mallorca remains more than a workplace. It is a place where there is enough time for golf, motorbike rides and eventually piano. She does not plan big headlines, but small joys: an espresso in the old town, a sunset at the pier, a check flight in the morning that feels like a well-practiced breath. 'And when I come back in the evening on the Harley, coming home is just simple,' she says, and you can hear the grin.

Amalia's story is a quiet plea for diversity in the sky and on the island. In a time when much is judged quickly, she reminds us: competence does not need an outcry — it needs patience, experience and a place where, after flying, your hands are free to enjoy life in Mallorca.