Captain Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan was appointed to head the Indonesia flag carrier Garuda on Friday, 15 November 2024.
Born in Wamena, Irian, in 1981, he spent his early years in Jayapura. Later, his high school years, beginning in 1998, were spent at SMA Taruna Nusantara (The Taruna Nusantara Senior High School) – an aviation boarding school in Magelang Regency, Central Java. High school provided the academic background for continuing aviation training at the Indonesian Air Force Academy in 2003.
His first Indonesian Air Force assignment was in 2003 as a Boeing 737-200 Patrol Plane in Squadron 5 of the Strategic Air Command based at the Sultan Hasanuddin Airbase in Makassar. Advanced additional international training was provided with the Singapore Air Force in 2007, where he undertook an Aviation Medicine Course; in Australia, he completed an Instructor’s Course with the Royal Australian Air Force in 2008; and in the USA, where he attended the US Air Force’s Squadron Officer School in 2011.
Captain Wamildan was also a flight instructor at the Adisucipto Air Force Base in Yogyakarta.
Wamildan retired from the Indonesian Air Force in 2013, after which he joined Lion Air and Batik Air, where he worked as a pilot and in various supervisory positions that included Safety Manager for Batik Air (2016-2017); Safety Director for Batik Air (2017-2020); Safety Director for Lion Air (2020-2022); and ultimately CEO of Lion Air (2022-2024).
At an extraordinary shareholders meeting on 15 November 2024, Garuda Indonesia appointed Captain Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan as President Director, replacing Irfan Setiaputra, who had led the Airline as CEO since 22 January 2020.
Wamildan will oversee a planned expansion of Garuda Indonesia’s fleet in 2025.
Related Links
Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan: New Garuda CEO
Former Garuda CEO Sent to Prison
Stay Informed on Bali Tourism-Related News: Subscribe to Bali Update