Regio Aviasi Industri to Manufacture Planes by 2018
Jakarta. Indonesian aviation company Regio Aviasi Industri plans to start local production of passenger aircraft from 2018, to tap local demand.
Agung Nugroho, president director of RAI, told reporters on Tuesday that the company was planning to build 400 units of the R80 turboprop passenger aircraft over 20 years.
He said RAI was now in the final stage of its preliminary design for the aircraft, which will have a carrying capacity of between 80 and 90 passengers.
The company will soon enter the second phase of the project, which involves detail design and prototype manufacturing.
Serial production of the aircraft will start in 2018.
RAI will collaborate with state aviation manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia to produce the aircraft, Agung said.
RAI is affiliated with former Indonesian president B.J. Habibie and his son Ilham Habibie.
Agung said the aircraft will meet demand from local airlines. Indonesia’s aviation industry has grown by 19 percent per annum in the past few years.
“We have signed letters of intent with two national airlines — KalStar Aviation and NAM Air,” Agung said.
He said NAM Air — a unit of Sriwijaya Air — plans to buy 100 of the R80 planes, while KalStar, a Pontianak-based airline, plans to buy 25.
Agung said RAI’s biggest competitor in Indonesia was Italian-French aircraft builder ATR (Avions de Transport Regional, or Aerei da Transporto Regionale) and Bombardier of Brazil.
He said RAI’s aircraft will have bigger capacity and better fuel efficiency than the ATR and Bombardier aircraft.
Agung did not reveal the investment amount required to build the planes.
RAI president commissioner Ilham Habibie said the company planned to further develop the R80 to a capacity of 100 passengers.
“Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, will always need air transport. Smaller planes are also needed for island-hopping,” Ilham said.
He added that beside KalStar Aviation and NAM Air, other national airlines that were interested in the R80 were Wings Air, Sky Aviation, Citilink and Merpati Nusantara.
RAI on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with France’s Dassault Systemes to help with the production of R80. Dassault Systemes will provide the platforms and solutions in detail design and manufacturing of the plane.
Citilink is the low-cost unit of Garuda Indonesia.
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