Virgin Australia has appointed former defence chief Sir Angus Houston to the airline's board.
Sir Angus becomes a non executive director at Australia's No.2 carrier, replacing Mark Vaile from Wednesday.
Virgin Australia chairman Elizabeth Bryan said Sir Angus offered valuable experience from his time as chief of the Australian Defence Force and Air Force, chairman of Airservices Australia, and other advisory, business and community roles.
"In addition to his extensive leadership experience, Sir Angus' unique insights into aviation and ability to address complex issues in an independent capacity will be a great asset," Ms Bryan said in a statement.
Sir Angus retired in 2011 after 41 years with the military.
He was the prime minister's special envoy following the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine and coordinated Australian efforts in the search for the missing MH370.
He was made a knight in 2015 by former PM Tony Abbott.
Current Prime Minister Scott Morrison in October downplayed speculation Sir Angus was in the running to be Australia's next governor-general.
