President Jokowi Receives Boeing International Delegates

President Jokowi receives a courtesy call from President of Boeing International Sir Michael Arthur and his delegation at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (11/02). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Rusman)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Wednesday (11/02) at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, received a courtesy call from a delegation of Boeing International, led by President of Boeing International Sir Michael Arthur.

According to Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, the President said that Boeing is a strategic partner of Indonesia in the aviation industry.

“The President highlighted that Indonesia is an important country for the aviation industry since we have many islands and cities. Therefore, Boeing shows great interest in providing support to Indonesia that will be realized through concrete policies,” the Minister said.

The Minister went on to say that the meeting discussed the scheme for aircraft demand and there is a plan to hold a discussion on aviation industry during the G20 Summit in Bali.

“The thing is that the demand exceeds the supply. There should be additional planes and Boeing has discussed what scheme suits best. At the G20, I, as Minister of Transportation also specially held a discussion session on aviation, on how we can improve Indonesia’s aviation capacity so it can serve all the needs of the community,” he said.

On that occasion, the Minister also explained that President Jokowi underscored the importance of collaboration and strategic cooperation between Boeing and other relevant stakeholders in Indonesia.

“The President also encouraged Boeing to collaborate with stakeholders in Indonesia, such as with State-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI). There is an MoU in which PT DI develops a construction design and also carries out supply activities to Boeing, which we hope will approach the figure of Rp1 trillion,” he added.

The Minister further said that Boeing is also willing to perform learning activities to improve people’s abilities, considering that Indonesia’s role is increasingly important for other countries around the world.

“We also discussed capacity building. Boeing is also willing to perform learning activities for the community. But the important thing is that our country is increasingly becoming an important country throughout the world amid the G20 [event] where international community shows an appreciation for Indonesia,” he remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/AIT) (RIF/MMB)