number of African countries have expressed interest in purchasing CN 235 and N 219 planes produced by state-owned Indonesian aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI).
The two types of aircraft are on display at the Pavilion Indonesia of the 2018 International Monetary Fund –World Bank (IMF-World Bank) Annual Meetings in Nusa Dua, Bali, from Monday to Friday.
“Madagascar, Congo and Sudan have expressed interest. They are in the process of exploring a possible [purchase],” PT DI president director Elfien Goentoro said in Nusa Dua on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
He explained that PT DI’s motivation for displaying its products in the Pavilion Indonesia was not to sell, but to showcase them to the delegates of the IMF-World Bank event from across the globe.
However, he said his company did eye the African market, because the CN 235 and N 219 were well suited to the geography of many African countries.
Elfien added that Norway had also sought information about the two types of aircraft, because the country needed planes with short take-off and landing to be operated in remote areas of the Nordic country.
PT DI currently managed to produce an average of 10 airplanes a year, he added.
Elfien revealed that PT DI would deliver four planes next year. Senegal had purchased a CN 235 plane worth US$25 million, Nepal had purchased a CN 235 with maritime patrol configuration worth $30 million and Thailand had purchased two N 219 planes worth $13 million each. (bbn)
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.