TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) inked an agreement to trade 25 units of N219 aircraft with Linkfield Technologies on the sidelines of The Aero Asia 2023 event at the Zhuhai International Airshow Center in China. The Aero Asia 2023 is held from November 23 to November 26, 2023.

The Letter of Intent was signed by the Director of Trade, Technology, and Development of PTDI Moh. Arif Faisal and the Director of Linkfield Technologies Patrick Goh.

"It is extraordinary that PTDI could cooperate with Linkfield Technologies and agreed on the trade plan of the 25 units of N219 which will boost the presence of [PTDI] in China's market," said Arif Faisal in a statement on Thursday, November 23, 2023.

The N219 aircraft is intended for export. Out of the 25 marketed aircraft, five were reserved by Bandung Airlines. Meanwhile, the rest twenty N219 aircraft were reserved by a leasing company in China.

"N219 was an aircraft entirely designed and developed by Indonesian engineers and I'm sure we are all proud to say that [The Aero Asia 2023] marked an important milestone for N219 to enter the global market," he said.

Earlier on Oct. 19, Linkfield Technologies agreed in an agreement with PTDI to become a reseller to market PTDI-made aircraft for military and commercial use in China.

According to Patrick Goh, the development of the N219 aircraft by PTDI is a strategic project. "For the last 50 years, everyone tried to develop huge aircraft for flight in big cities or international routes, but they forgot that we have a connectivity problem for people living in villages, with no trains or roads. Except if you have aircraft like N219 which will boost the local economy," Patrick Goh said during his visit to Indonesia on Oct. 23.

AHMAD FIKRI

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