PT DI to deliver four CN-235 planes to South Korea

Monday, 10 August 2009

ANTARA News Agency

PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) will deliver four CN-235 surveillance aircraft ordered by South Korea worth US$100 million in 2010, a company executive said.

"We will start delivering the four surveillance aircraft ordered by South Korea in 2010," the company`s vice president for marketing and integrated aircraft sales, Arie Wibowo, said here on Monday.

He said South Korea was one of the countries that had ordered CN-235s at the price of US$100 million.

PT DI produces CN-235 aircraft in a variety of versions and the product was already being operated in other countries beside Indonesia and South Korea.

"South Korea is only one of the countries (operating the aircraft). Basically we have no competitors in the Asia Pacific," he said.

Countries already using CN-235s include Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Burkina Faso.

PT DI also produces Super Puma NAS-332 helicopters under a license from France`s Eurocopter (Aerospatiale).

The company whose shares are entirely held by the government was established in 1976 and from the beginning has produced NC-212, 19-24 seat passenger aircraft under a license from Spain`s EADS Casa and NBO-105 helicopters under a license from Germany`s DASA Eurocopter.

Since 1984 PT DI has produced NBell-412 SPs and HPs under a license from Bell Helicopter Textron of the USA.

"Besides producing aircraft and helicopters we also produce structural components for Boeing 737s, Boeing 777s, Bombardiers, Airbuses, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Eurocopter and CTRM Malaysia," he said.

The company is the only company producing and supplying Inboard-Outboard Fixed Leading Edge Airbus A 380 components.

According to the president director and chief executive officer of Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Ricard J Millman, PT DI has all the potentials and capabilities to become an aviation company as well as a producer and marketer for the Asia Pacific region. "PT DI has all the potentials," he said.(*)