Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Transportation Ministry plans to place an order for N219 aircraft with state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) for conducting flight calibration and for operating flights to the frontier, outermost, and least developed regions.
The aircraft will also ply on pioneer flight routes, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi stated after witnessing the handover of a certificate for the N219 aircraft to PT DI at the Transportation Ministry here on Monday.
The minister lauded the certification of locally-made N219 aircraft. Certification of the aircraft is expected to serve as a milestone in propelling the plane design and build (DB) industry in Indonesia since the development of locally-made N250 aircraft was initiated three decades ago at the initiative of former president BJ Habibie when he was the research and technology minister.
"I am optimistic that this achievement would motivate PT Dirgantara Indonesia to continue to make innovations since technical improvisations are still required on the next generation of the aircraft to compete with foreign-made aircraft and to have high sale value," he noted in a written statement.
Director General of Air Transportation of the Transportation Ministry Novie Riyanto noted that the Directorate General of Air Transportation began issuing certification for the N219 aircraft in February 2014. Based on the Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) Part 21, the certification will be valid for three years.
The Directorate General of Air Transportation has extended the certification twice on February 8, 2017, and February 11, 2020.
Article 13 of Law No. 1 of 2009 stipulates that an aircraft, its engine and its propeller to be produced for eligible use must have a design that is certified by the Directorate General of Air Transportation.
Certification for the N219 aircraft was issued after it underwent a series of tests during the certification process and the final certification board meeting on December 18, 2020.
N219 is commuter, high-wing monoplane, with mid tail empennage, unpressurised cabin having a maximum capacity of 19 passengers, with fuselage mounted non-retractable tricycle, twin-engined turboprop PT6A-42, with four-blade propeller Hartzell, and equipped with Next-Generation Garmin 1000 navigation and communication system.
The N219 aircraft received a certificate after undergoing a seven-year certification process.
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