Garuda Indonesia Clears Crew in Passenger Phone Loss

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has announced the results of its investigation into a passenger's missing phone on flight GA-716 from Jakarta to Melbourne. The airline concluded that there is no evidence indicating the involvement of its flight crew in the incident.

Ade R. Susardi, Commercial Director of Garuda Indonesia, said that the investigation, conducted in coordination with the police, ran from June 6 to June 18, 2025. "The internal investigation process has officially been concluded," Ade said in a written statement on Friday, June 20, 2025.

He acknowledged that the report of the passenger's missing phone had recently sparked public discussion. He explained that this incident would serve as an evaluation for the airline's future operational procedures and services. "We continue to communicate with the passenger in question," Ade added.

Chronology of the Loss

Michael Tjendara, through his Instagram post (@michaeltjendara), detailed the events surrounding his missing iPhone. He explained that he placed his iPhone in seat pocket 30D during takeoff from Jakarta on June 6, 2025. He then moved to seat 32E to rest during the flight.

Upon landing at Melbourne Airport at 10:55 AM local time, Michael realized his phone was missing from the seat pocket. He immediately reported the incident to the cabin crew. However, passengers had already been permitted to disembark, preventing an immediate search of the plane.

Michael then used the Find My iPhone feature to track his device. Between 11:26 AM and 11:48 AM, the phone was briefly detected at Terminal 2 of Melbourne Airport. He subsequently reported the incident to the Garuda Indonesia office, meeting with Station Manager Samuel and other airport staff. They also filed a report with the airport's Lost and Found department.

Later, around 1:02 PM, Michael reported that his phone was detected at the Mercure Southbank Hotel. He went to the hotel with his family and driver. The hotel manager confirmed to Michael that only the Garuda GA716 crew, approximately 20 people, had checked in. "There were no other passengers," Michael wrote.

Michael then contacted Samuel and Garuda Melbourne's General Manager, Ridho, who came to the hotel. A search was conducted in several crew rooms, though Michael noted that not all rooms were checked. By 3:54 PM, the iPhone's location was still detected inside the hotel.

Shortly thereafter, around 4:00 PM, all Garuda Indonesia crew left the hotel. Then, at 4:42 PM, Michael stated the phone was detected at the edge of the Yarra River, approximately 100 meters from the hotel. Along with Samuel and Ridho, he searched the Southbank Promenade, checking trash cans, bushes, and drains. "At 5:23 PM, the phone was still detected on the riverbank," he wrote. The last detected position of his phone was in the middle of the Yarra River at 7:33 PM local time.

Aisha Shaidra contributed to the writing of this article.

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