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Indonesia gears up to mass-produce, export N-219 aircraft
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Airworthy: An N-219 aircraft lands at Husein Sastranegara Air Force Base in Bandung, West Java, after a test flight. (JP/Arya Dipa)
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tate-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) has set out to mass-produce and export its N-219 by the middle of this year to tap growing domestic and global demand for small aircraft.
The compact airplane is designed to improve accessibility, which would benefit the development of infrastructure and tourism in remote Indonesian regions that are inaccessible by commercial airplanes, according to PT DI president director Elfien Goentoro.
As orders from several regions had been coming in, the company would start to deliver the aircraft across the country by 2022, before commencing exports in 2024.
He said PT DI was waiting for certification before mass production could gradually begin.
“Once we have received the certificate from the Transportation Ministry, hopefully by mid-2020, we will swiftly begin the production of N-219 airplanes,” Elfien told The Jakarta Post after a session with House of Representatives Commission VII, which oversees energy, research and technology.
The N-219, dubbed Nurtanio by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, is a 19-seat utility aircraft with ample cargo space that can carry 2.3 tons of payload.
The company promotes the N-219 as a multifunctional aircraft capable of accessing remote areas with narrow airstrips due to its small size.
