INDONESIA UNVEILS PASSENGER AIRCRAFT FOR REMOTE REGIONS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 11 (Antara) - The 17 thousand Indonesian islands spread across the archipelago are vastly isolated, and most regions are located in remote areas that need connectivity.          To this end, the government, through its state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), is looking forward to the future trend in passenger aircraft business.          As it would also promote the government's program to boost connectivity and improve the people's welfare thorough equitable transportation services, PTDI, in cooperation with the National Aviation and Space Agency (LAPAN), is producing a smaller yet efficient aircraft that can be used to offer air transportation services to various islands in Indonesia.          On Thursday, PTDI launched the prototype of its N219 aircraft, which is expected to boost the country's air transportation sector through commuter aircraft services in future.          "I welcome the development of the N219 aircraft by the domestic aviation industry. The N219 has been developed in Indonesia for Indonesia," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said in his written address, read out by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan at the unveiling of the aircraft's prototype at the PTDI hangar in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday.