PT RAI commissioner Ilham Habibie, who is also the son of former president BJ Habibie, said that the plane production would take place in West Java.  

"The R80 will be able to fly 20,000 feet above sea level. The cost to build one R80 is estimated at US$500,000 to $700,000," Ilham said in Bandung, West Java, as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday. 

If the plan went accordingly, the R80 would make its maiden flight in 2018 from the planned Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka regency, West Java.   

BJ Habibie said that Indonesia had the capacity to develop its own aircraft. 

The N250 turboprop plane, or Nusantara 250, which was manufactured by state-owned aircraft company PT IPTN, now PT DI, was a concrete example of how Indonesians could build aircraft, he said. The plane conducted its maiden flight on Aug. 10, 1995, and its test flights were successful, he added. 

In 1998, Indonesia came close to having the plane certified as airworthy by US and European regulators, but the plane's development was halted when a monetary crisis hit the nation. 

"Trains, cars, and other land transportation cannot link one place to another in this vast archipelago. We have 17,000 islands and we need planes to enhance connectivity between the islands," the former president said. 

He hoped that PT DI could be as successful as it was 19 years ago through developing the R80. 

In addition, West Java governor Ahmad "Aher" Heryawan said that the province was proud to be chosen as a strategic partner to help develop the country's aviation industry. 

"We all have the same hopes and we are committed to making this project successful. We want an R80 plane to be able to begin its first flight in West Java in 2018," Aher said. (nfo)

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