Neema Swai was born circa 1990 to Tanzanian parents. She is the last-born in a family of three siblings. Her mother operated a pharmacy at
Kilimanjaro International Airport and Swai helped at the pharmacy when she was young. There, she observed many female pilots, which piqued her interest. With support from her parents, she enrolled in the Blue Chip Flying Academy in
Pretoria, South Africa, and obtained her
private pilot licence in three months at age 19. She obtained the
commercial pilot licence after another six months. In 2009, her training class had only two black students, and she was the only female student. On returning to Tanzania, she underwent further examination so the
Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority would certify her credentials. ==Career==