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Airbus Group to help with certification for Indonesian plane
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An N219 aircraft designed by PT Dirgantara Indonesia at an assembly facility. The aircraft is considered to be a suitable vehicle for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to travel around Indonesia. (kompas.com/Reska K. Nistanto)
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irbus Group reportedly plans to help Indonesia’s aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) obtain certification for its homegrown commuter category plane N219.
"Airbus will help Indonesia with the certification, which hopefully will conclude by the end of this year," PT DI president director Budi Santoso said on Wednesday.
He made his statement following a meeting with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, which was also attended by Fernando Alonso, head of military aircraft at Airbus Group subsidiary Airbus Defense and Space.
The state-owned company was planning to sell the N219 starting in 2017, Budi said, adding that PT DI aimed to exceed the target of selling 60 of the 19-seat planes in the opening year.
Due to the technicalities and certification issues, N219 flight tests were pushed back to August after initially being scheduled for May and June. The N219 is the first locally produced commuter developed since the N250 in 1998. (bbn)
