Garuda Indonesia Appoints First Female Captain

Jakarta Globe, Sarah Yuniarni, April 06, 2017

Garuda Indonesia operational director Novianto Herupratomo and Ida Fiqriyah,
the flag-carrier's first female captain, on Wednesday (05/04). (Photo courtesy
of Garuda Indonesia).

Jakarta. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has appointed its first ever female captain, the first major Indonesian airline to do so.

Ida Fiqriyah was officially appointed as a captain on Wednesday (o5/04). She regularly flies the narrow-body Boeing B737-800 NG and single-aisle aircraft for Garuda. She has clocked in 10,585 flight hours in more than 18 years with the flag-carrier, beginning her career in 1999 as a co-pilot.

A 1996 graduate of the Indonesian State Aviation School in Tangerang, Banten, Ida has been flying all types of aircraft for Garuda Indonesia, including Boeing B737-300, B737-400 and B737-500 and the wide-body Airbus A330-300 and A330-200.

"We are an equal-opportunity employer. We always reward good performances," Garuda Indonesia operational director Novianto Herupratomo said in a statement on Wednesday.

Novianto said to become a captain is no easy task; pilots have to go through a lot of hardships and face many challenging situations before they can even be considered as a captain at Garuda Indonesia.

He also said Ida's appointment as captain should inspire other Indonesian women to pursue a career in aviation.

Garuda Indonesia currently employs 30 female pilots out of a total of 1,380 pilots at the company.