In 1976, Indonesia established IPTN, at the time the “N” stood for Nurtanio, not Nusantara. Habibie was the first president director of IPTN. He was sent abroad along with the young people who were expected to connect the archipelago using either airplanes or ships. Thus, Habibie’s N-250 was designed for connecting the 17,000 islands of the archipelago. That vision continued with the N-219.

“Our main target is to produce the most suitable aircraft for Indonesia’s remote regions,” said DI’s director of technology and development, Andi Alihsjahbana.

Read our Longform story, 'N-219: Propelling Indonesia’s aerospace industry', here.

(The Jakarta Post/ Marguerite Afra Sapiie)