Young Female Pilots Behind President Prabowo’s Flights: Meet the Women

Presidential Assistant Dirgayuza Setiawan revealed the identities of young female pilots accompanying President Prabowo Subianto’s flights. These pilots operate Garuda Indonesia aircraft and Indonesian Air Force planes during the President’s travel. Dirgayuza also shared President Prabowo’s recurring message that the nation must continuously seek, provide opportunities for, and appreciate the best individuals who love the homeland regardless of age. He highlighted the emergence of numerous outstanding talents in Indonesia. ‘The longer I serve President Prabowo, the more I meet outliers. Perhaps because the President always reminds us, “we must keep finding, giving opportunities, and appreciating the best people who love the red and white, regardless of age,”’ Dirgayuza wrote in his Instagram post on Tuesday (26 May 2026). Dirgayuza noted Prabowo’s strong focus on high-achieving youth, which inspired the establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara in 1988, and later SMA Unggul Garuda and the Presidential Program for Future Leaders (P3MD). Dirgayuza then shared stories of several young female pilots he described as ‘outliers’ for breaking into aviation, a field traditionally dominated by men. One is Captain Tania Citra, a Garuda Indonesia Boeing 777 pilot who flew President Prabowo on his overseas trip. She piloted the aircraft during his visit to France on Tuesday (26 May) at 00:08 WIB, becoming the first female Garuda pilot to fly a sitting president. At 31, Tania previously became the world’s youngest female Boeing 777 pilot at age 29. Besides presidential and commercial flights, she is also recognised as the world’s youngest female Boeing 777 instructor. Dirgayuza also highlighted Captain Ajeng Mahessa of the Indonesian Air Force’s 17th Squadron, who pilots the presidential Boeing 737 for domestic and short-haul international trips. At 30, she is the world’s youngest presidential 737 pilot. ‘She was also a National Paskibraka member in 2011,’ he added. Additionally, Captain Yustikasari Diana Putri, known as Tika, from the Indonesian Air Force’s 2nd Squadron, pilots CN aircraft for humanitarian missions and short-runway regional flights. Dirgayuza noted Tika was 27 at the time. Another young female pilot accompanying Prabowo is Captain Gini Setya Rahayu of the 31st Squadron, flying C-130 Hercules aircraft. The 24-year-old pilot plays a key role in logistical support for Sumatra rehabilitation operations. According to Dirgayuza, such high-achieving young women’s stories rarely receive widespread public attention. ‘I am writing and sharing this because I believe the stories of outliers like Capt. Tania, Capt. Ajeng, Capt. Tika, and Capt. Gini should be told more in classrooms and media,’ he said. He hopes their stories will inspire Indonesian girls to dream boldly and excel in fields traditionally dominated by men. ‘Behind their success lie thousands of hours of study, work, and determination to literally defy gravity and soar high across the Nusantara skies and the world. Success in a world many assume is reserved for men,’ he added. ‘For Indonesia to progress, it needs outliers like them—not only excelling in their duties but also fostering hope, building aspirations, and creating thousands more outliers across various fields,’ Dirgayuza added.