TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Domestic airlines may use crude palm oil (CPO)-based aviation turbine (avtur) fuel or green avtur in two to two-and-a-half years later, in 2021 to be exact, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Darmin Nasution, said after attending the inauguration of the maintenance, repair and overhaul facility of the Lion Air Group in Batam, Riau Islands Province, on Wednesday.

The use of the green avtur will help airline companies save up to billions of rupiahs, he said, adding that the government continues to develop industry processing CPO into various types of fuel oils.

"The industry is not limited to avtur," he said.

The government signed an agreement with oil palm plantation and airline companies to develop CPO-based avtur, he added. Lion Air founder, Rusdy Kirana, warmly welcomed the government's efforts to process CPO into avtur.

"The minister has discussed CPO. It can be processed into avtur so it will change the foreign exchange from negative to positive," he said.

In Jakarta, President Joko Widodo has also reportedly given directives to process CPO into green avtur or environmentally-friendly avtur.

"I learn that CPO can be processed into avtur. Please study it further. If it can be turned into avtur, it will reduce avtur imports so the trade deficit and the current account deficit will get better," the president had said while opening a limited meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta some time ago.

ANTARA